


A Not So Forbidden Love Story

by transreborn



Series: KHR Shorts [26]
Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: Angst, Boarding School AU, Cute, Female Genital Mutilation warning, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Implied/Referenced Suicide, M/M, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Rape Recovery, Trans Male Character, abuse mention, drug mention, love n support
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-04-21
Updated: 2017-03-29
Packaged: 2018-01-20 07:43:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 27
Words: 115,889
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1502339
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/transreborn/pseuds/transreborn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>With his entire life thrown out a window, Tsuna's father felt it was best to have a change of scenery for Tsuna. For better or for worse. And Tsuna felt like it was finally a place he could be himself, even with all the obstacles to come. Eventual R27<br/>under major reconstruction</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah okay so this story is going under major reconstruction because I'm very unhappy with how I wrote some of this so check back momentarily for improvements. No idea how long it'll take because I actually hate how I wrote certain things and cringe thinking about it. But that's why I'm correcting it!

Losing your ability to speak was always nice to wake up to. And he could barely breathe, his chest constricting painfully every time he breathed in.

It was hard to remember what happened but it came back in pieces. His name was Sawada Tsunayoshi; he was fifteen; the last time he saw his parents, they were discussing how he was failing at his school, Namimori Middle. Then there was a loud noise; his parents were with his homeroom teacher and - oh.

_Oh._

He remembered now. How his mother was barely alive last he saw her. How he dragged all three people in the locked office outside. How he had collapsed in the burning office seeing if there was anybody else. He knew the teacher should have let him in the room. His teacher insisted that this parent-teacher meeting only included his grades, nothing else.

His chest was clenching for a whole other reason and then there were people around him. They seemed to be excited and scared. He was poked and prodded with more needles that he didn't know what they did. He was scared, he felt like he was going to pass out and he didn't want to. It felt like he had been asleep too long already but they were putting him right back under.

A nurse broke through the crowd and smoothed back his hair matted to his face. "Don't worry", she croned. "Everything's alright. We're going to have you sleep a little bit longer to make sure you're nice and strong for therapy."

It wasn't the thing he wanted to hear but it relaxed him enough for the sedatives to work.

Tsuna woke up and he was immediately asked questions by police, asked how he felt by staff, and not once did he see his mother in the mass of faces. His father was by his bedside and when he saw Tsuna was awake he burst into tears, mumbling incoherently in a language Tsuna didn't know.

He wasn't given a time to rest for the next three months as he was constantly in therapy, rehabilitation and speech alike.

Why he was in the hospital was because of how there was a fire in his school, where his parents and teacher were. That he knew but he was told he had severe burns and smoke inhalation. He almost didn't make it according to his doctor. They put him in a medical coma to be able to recover easier while he slept and two weeks later he finally woke up.

Now he couldn't speak because his vocal cords needed time to repair, his lungs were affected by the smoke so he had something similar to asthma, but he wasn't entirely sure if it was asthma or not. He wasn't the best at medical terms so he was just told to say he had asthma to help himself remember.

His father seemed much more distant though. Through the entire three month rehabilitation he went through, it looked like his dad, Iemitsu, was struggling. Trying to find something to say but torn whether he should say it.

They hadn't actually exchanged any sort of communication after he told Tsuna that his mom died. Iemitsu had said that she died shortly after arriving at the hospital, despite their best efforts, and dissolved into tears. Tsuna was too shocked to cry.

The tears came later and it was more painful that way.

Finally, Iemitsu walked into the living room where Tsuna usually sat during the day, never having enough energy to make it up the stairs yet. Iemitsu looked apprehensive but hopeful as he talked.

"Tsuna, you know I love you very much and I just want the best for you. So I want to enroll you in a new school. It's at the edge of Namimori so you'll still be close to town and can visit whenever you want. It's a boarding school and it helps with people with disabilities and illnesses of all kinds."

Iemitsu paused and looked up at Tsuna. He tried not to show it but Tsuna knew that he wanted Tsuna to say yes to going to this school. But Tsuna didn't have a problem, yeah he was a little sad all the time but isn't everybody?

Apparently not though as Tsuna was forced to go to this new school for people with physical and mental disabilities alike. So he tried to embrace it the best he could.

* * *

 

The school was laid out with two wings. There's an East wing where the dorms are placed, the boys separated from the girls of course, and the West wing, where the classrooms and sick bay are. A hallway connects the two wings that rooms all the staff.

In the dorm, there was only one option if you were a patient; room with someone else to help you.

And Tsuna now had to room with somebody he didn't know for three years. Nice. This was going to be fun. He didn't even know the person. What if they were obnoxiously loud. What if they enjoyed kinky roleplay and was extremely loud.

Sighing, Tsuna walked into his dorm. opening the door, and standing there in confusion.

A man was sprawled on the ground, sweat shirt completely soaked through, and only black slacks on. He seemed to be doing push-up, when he saw Tsuna enter his head snapped over. He looking at the pale complexion and haggard breathing with conserved curiosity.

"And who might you be?" He asked. He got up and walked closer to get a better view of Tsuna.

Tsuna rooted through his pockets for his phone to introduce himself. He found it and quickly typed a message stating his name. "Hm, so you're my new roommate...I'm Reborn."

A snort of disdain was the only reply as Tsuna walked further into the room. He saw that the room he entered was a somewhat home-y feeling to it. There was a leather, rust coloured couch sitting pushed up beside a picture window that spilled light into the semi-dark room. The brown walls where box-like but branched off into a hall where he imagined more rooms would be and matched the wooden floors in colour.

"My bedroom's the first door on your left. Across from that door is the bathroom. If you keep walking you'll find yours as the last one on your right." Taking that as a prompt to leave, Tsuna wandered down the hall and found what Reborn had said as his room.

He walked into the room and sat down on the bed, swinging his feet looking around the room. It was square in size with a stark white colour on the walls, contrasting with the earlier brown, and had nothing on them whatsoever. The floor was carpeted with tacky, pinkish-red plush carpet, but was soft to the touch and was nice to walk on.

Sighing through his nose, Tsuna got up and started putting his clothes away into the dresser stuck into the corner of the room. _'This is going to be a long few years'_ , he thought bitterly to himself as he closed his dresser drawer.

* * *

 

The first day of school was unusual. He woke up early from another nightmare, making him shiver in his bed with small gasps of surprise and pain racking his body. He looked over at the analogue clock perched on his wall, he took it from his home, and saw that it was 6:30.

Deciding it was time to get up since his first class started at 8. He learned that if he went back to sleep he would never wake up on time. He gathered his uniform that was issued to everyone and went to the bathroom to take a shower and do his daily routine.

He tripped on the way there and a huge clatter was heard throughout the dorm. He really hoped Reborn didn't get upset at him.

When he got out of the bathroom, he saw Reborn waiting by the door. He looked up when he heard the door opening and grumbled,"If you were going to be up so early, at least be a little more quiet about it."

Tsuna gave a sheepish smile. Reborn was technically a student but he had classes at 9 instead of 8 so he could afford to sleep in. Tsuna wasn't really in need of help per se, but he just needed if he had an attack of some sort and companionship from his depression.

Tsuna moved out of the way for the bathroom and walked to his room to get his red tie for his uniform. His uniform was very much like his old one for Namimori; navy slacks, a white dress shirt, a sky blue tie, and a jacket or sweater vest, depending on the season. Only the tie was a red-orange instead of sky-blue. He never really figured out how to tie it completely, but it was on and it was presentable at least.

He walked out to the kitchen, a sloppy excuse for a Windsor knot around his neck, and took some bread for breakfast. Reborn walked in not too long after and started making himself some coffee. He looked completely dead to the world, his black eyes making the bags darker than they were, his face paling in the yellowing light in the small kitchen, and his hair looking more messed up then the usually carefully styled mess of spikes.

Reborn looked over at Tsuna and made eye-contact. Tsuna looked down, his face scarlet, and focused way too hard on munching half-heartedly on his bread.

Reborn narrowed his eyes, sneering at Tsuna. "Come over here."

Flinching at the harsh tone, Tsuna hesitantly stepped towards him. His chin was lifted up so he was staring directly into black eyes that crinkled in slight amusement at his expense. His tie was corrected and smoothed into his vest in a matter of under a minute.

"There; you at least look presentable now. Learn to tie one next time because I'm not doing it every morning." Reborn turned back to his coffee that had began to cool slightly when he was working on straightening Tsuna out.

A soft grunt from Tsuna was the rest of the conversation that morning as Tsuna had to leave soon after he was done eating. It was already 7:30 by the time he had everything straightened out, so he walked out after waving goodbye to Reborn.

When he walked into his class, he immediately gained attention from the majority of the class. Some pegged him off as weak and an easy target. Others weren't so sure they wanted to deal with him since his roommate was Reborn. Of course people seemed to stare longer, like they were targeting him. He always drew in weird people and people picking on him. It was like a ritual now; every year in his new class people seemed to pick him out and think, 'Yeah I'm bullying this kid this year'. It was infuriating but he was used to it now.

And he wasn't wrong because he went over to an empty sea back of his class and somebody tipped his chair back so he was only being held up by their hand. He looked up to see some punk looking kids sneering down at him. They didn't even say a word. Just left after they sized him up.

Tsuna sighed wearily. These years were going to be taxing for sure.

* * *

 

**Edited 1/31/16**

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is going under major reconstruction because I'm very unhappy with how I wrote some of this so check back momentarily for improvements. No idea how long it'll take because I actually hate how I wrote certain things and cringe thinking about it. But that's why I'm correcting it.

Tsuna sighed through his nose as he walked into his dorm. He was already being targeting for bullies. Was it because he had a sign hanging over his head that just screamed, 'Pick on me, pick on me!'?

Whatever the case, he was being bullied and it was only his first day. So it wasn't a great day for him. They decided to smear uncooked eggs over his desk when he left with Reborn. Reborn had come to the class because the Principal wanted to talk to him and Reborn was to explain certain things to him and all that. Show him the ropes. And when he came back his desk smelled terrible and he was forced to sit with it because the teacher didn’t want him leaving the room to get anything because the second bell had already rung and it was time for class.

Reborn looked up when Tsuna walked in, motioning for Tsuna to join him at the table.

Tsuna cocked his head in curiosity. He kicked his shoes off hurriedly and sat across from Reborn. He reluctantly put his bag on the table when Reborn gave a pointed look at it.

“You have homeowrk don’t you?” Reborn asked. He leaned against his hands and stared uninterestedly at Tsuna.

Tsuna hurried to get his phone out, fumbling it and dropping it on the table with a loud smack. Reborn watched, his face devoid of expression as he waited for Tsuna to answer him.

‘ _ I do but it’s just math and English. _ ’ Tsuna slid the phone across the table to Reborn could read the message he typed out. Reborn nodded and slide it back. 

“I’m supposed to help you with your homework so what are you good at in school?” Reborn asked.

Tsuna couldn’t help it, he laughed a little when he was asked that. ‘ _ Nothing _ .’ He typed.

“Well that’s an obvious lie. Everybody’s good at something.”

Tsuna didn’t try to argue, just shrugged, and pulled out what he needed to finish and do. Reborn pulled the math worksheet towards him and snorted. It was way too easy for somebody in Tsuna’s year to be doing, it was simply adding and subtracting with single digit numbers. This was appallingly offensive to people that were actually smart in Tsuna class.

“Is this what your math homework is?” Reborn asked. He wa still trying to figure out if this was a joke.

Tsuna nodded, looking perplexed as to why Reborn looked so aghast.

“This is disgraceful. It’s just adding and subtracting. You do this in grade one. This shouldn’t help you at all. Even if it is the teacher’s way of building you up, that should be on the first day of school, not middle of the school year.” He seemed to think for a second before he put the sheet down again. “Alright so finish this and I’ll help you with things you can’t do.”

Tsuna looked up at Reborn in disdain; of course he could do this simple addition. And he finished it within ten minutes. Reborn looked it over and seemed satisfied but he wasn’t giving up there. He pulled Tsuna’s math book towards him and flicked through the pages. He had been given an outline of what Tsuna would be learning and he seemed keen to try and help Tsuna. 

It was a nice gesture but Tsuna knew he was beyond helping in math.

“Okay, do these questions for fractions.” Reborn said, pointing to a list of questions along the page. Tsuna’s face fell as he started working, trying to remember how to do this. 

“What do you need help with?” Reborn asked.

‘ _A lot._ ’ Tsuna typed. He refused to meet Reborn’s eyes because he knew that Reborn would be mocking him. But he felt a tap on his head and when he looked up Reborn was staring back blankly, no emotion as always as he started to explain how to multiply fractions.  It was better to do the basics of one thing Tsuna needed to know and Reborn knew that he would need to  fractions so why not help him with it now. 

After they finished all of Tsuna’s homework, flying through it with ease now that he actually had help, Reborn let Tsuna pack his things up. But right as Tsuna was about to retreat to his room, Reborn grabbed Tsuna’s hand and pulled him back.

“I’m teaching you learn sign language.” Reborn said. Tsuna looked at him uncomprehensively; he had never heard of sign language before. “Sign language is what it is called for a reason.” Reborn started to explain. He stuck his thumb out and said, “This means father. I’ll be teaching you Japanese Sign Language and when you learn mother, do not ever sign mother at an American or British person.”

Tsuna crawled into his bed as early as he could. Reborn had taught him some helpful signs he could use but he just hoped he remembered them. His memory was terrible and his mother used to call him Space Cadet.

But thinking of his mom was probably a mistake as he felt his once happy mood deflate. His smile slipped off his face and his eyes welled with tears. He wanted to talk to his mom. The two had been really close. She was his only support really. Iemitsu was at the office all day and came home for dinner but that was the extent of how much they interacted. He asked about Tsuna’s day and everything but there wasn’t the companionship he felt with his mother. She was so open and never made him feel terrible. 

A sob wracked through him, making his chest hurt. He was used to mild pain by now, his lungs would randomly feel like he was breathing in fire instead of oxygen, but the kind of pain he felt wasn’t physical. It was the weight of knowing he’d never see his mom again. The fact the last he saw of her was a burnt face and a grateful smile. Everything in him hurt with the fact his mom was  _ gone.  _

He tried to rub away his tears. He really hated crying but it was all he could do. What else could he do? 

Reborn knocked on his doorway, leaning against it and looking out into the hall. He wasn’t going to intrude if Tsuna didn’t want him and he recognized that Tsuna just needed to cry.

“Is there anything you need?” He asked simply.

Tsuna sniffed, typing out a message, he knocked on his bedside table to get Reborn to look over and he tossed his phone to Reborn. He caught it effortlessly and read the following message, “ _ I’m just sad. My mom was really the only person I could talk to since I was always bullied in my old school. It looks like it’ll be no different here since people are doing things to make me miserable. Don’t go out of your way to do anything though. _ ”

Reborn rolled his eyes and walked over to Tsuna’s bed. He sat down gingerly on the edge, like he was ready to spring up at the drop of a hat, and handed Tsuna his phone. “It’s part of my job as your roommate to listen to you. But that doesn’t mean I’ll listen to you just because I have to. And I can’t help you unless you want it. Just tell me when you need me.”

Tsuna seemed shocked. His lip quivered as he tried to not start sobbing again. Reborn started to get up but seemed to pause, looking over at Tsuna with dolefully. 

“Don’t hold it in. If not me, find something to help you express what your emotions.”

Reborn left without another word and Tsuna felt lighter. Reborn was nothing but a stranger at this point yet he had a way with words. This stranger at least cared for him, if above anything else. Even if it was just slightly. 

He wished he could have said he slept soundly but nothing was ever that simple.

Tsuna had been having nightmares for a while, ever since he had been brought home. The doctors had tried convincing him to use sleeping medication but he always slept too long and too deep. He didn’t like sleeping as deep as he had, it freaked him out and it felt like he might never wake up again.

This nightmare wasn’t even coherent though. He woke up and was just scared. There wasn’t a reason but there was an aching, all too familiar ball of nerves at the base of his throat that let him know that he should be scared.

And he was. His gut twisted and clawed as it writhed, his head pounded with his heart, his entire body started hurting and tingling and the scars he had on crawling up along his arms seared. Tsuna’s breathing picked up and he started trying to untangle himself from the blanket but he just got himself more stuck and fell out of bed. 

He flinched when he hit the ground, more for the fact he knew that Reborn would probably wake up. He tried to be quiet as his knees hit the ground with another too loud thump. He crept along the floor, picking himself up carefully as he stepped into the hallway. There was a dim light on in the hall, a night light plugged into the socket about halfway. It was enough to light the floor three feet [92 cm] on either side

"Why are you up?" A voice asked behind him. Tsuna jerked and looked behind him fearfully. He relaxed when it was just Reborn, who else would it be, and he tried to laugh it off. But Reborn just looked at him meaningfully, waiting for an answer.

Tsuna fumbled to do something. He didn’t know very many signs and he didn’t have a notepad or his phone with him and he looked hopelessly at Reborn. He positioned his thumb, index, and middle finger towards the ground but Reborn shook his head.

“You did the sign wrong. You have to splay them out more. There you go; keep going.” Reborn urged.

Tsuna held up his pinky. Then his first three fingers positioned horizontally before finally making a ‘v’ shape in the air. Reborn took a second to figure out what Tsuna was trying to say.

“Suimin?” He asked for clarification. Tsuna nodded, smiling a little. He put up his pinky twice more before making a claw with his fingers. Reborn nodded as he got it. “You can’t sleep. Bad dream?”

Tsuna nodded, shifting his shoulders uncomfortably.

“Do you want to tell me about it or would you rather calm down?”

Tsuna held up to fingers, implying he wanted to calm down first.

“Is there anything you need?” When Tsuna shrugged, Reborn uncrossed his arms and stepped towards him, herding Tsuna into the kitchen. “There’s no use sitting in your room then since it just feels suffocating.”

He was pushed into the bright kitchen, the yellowed light hurting his eyes and he had to blink away the pain. Reborn moved about the kitchen, gathering cups, setting water to boil, pulling things out of the cupboard resting over the sink. Tsuna stood uncomfortably in the doorway, fidgeting with his shirt hem.

“This is where you live as much as it is where I live, Tsuna. I won’t be mad if you make yourself feel comfortable.” Reborn said, leaning against the counter. Tsuna tried to look abashed but it made him feel worse. He hated this new environment he was forced into. There was nothing good about this entire thing. 

“Do you want me to teach you more sign language to take your mind off of everything?” Reborn asked. Tsuna nodded eagerly. He really didn’t like not being able to talk to people. He just hoped there was at least somebody that knew JSL so it wouldn’t be as hard.

The two spent the next hour going over the alphabet. Reborn made sure Tsuna had the entire thing down pact before he even suggested going back to bed. When he did, Tsuna stiffened, not sure what would greet him if he went to bed.

“I’m not going to say you’ll be fine, Tsuna, but you can’t live in fear. It makes it worse.” Reborn said. He got up from the table pushed to the corner of the kitchen and made his way back to his own room. Tsuna stared at his back forlornly and couldn’t help but thinking,  _ 'He's quite handsome for a supposed 17 year old.' _

But he managed to force himself to bed, fading in and out of sleep. He was never asleep long enough to dream and was restless the rest of the night. He was just glad there was no nightmare even beginning.

Tsuna woke up to Reborn shaking him. They locked eyes and Reborn straightened, saying, “If you don’t get up soon, you’ll be late.”

He wasn’t lying and Tsuna had to rush to get ready. He dragged a brush through his hair while he tried to brush his teeth. His clothes were haphazardly thrown on himself and he tried to make himself look somewhat okay before he left his dorm.

People from all over town were allowed to visit today and he needed to look at least a little presentable.  He would most likely see people he knew so he wanted to at least not be made fun of for his appearance.

When the bell rang signalling that class was in for the day, Tsuna slipped in. The teacher walked in a few minutes behind him and he sighed in relief, successfully avoiding a detention.

He wanted to do better here at his studies then when he was at Namimori Middle. It was embarrassing to have people shout his nickname in recognition when he walked in that first day on campus. Few people recognize him as Dame-Tsuna, but most recognized him as Sawada Tsunayoshi who lost his kindhearted mother. Some looked with mild respect at him when he passed and he was glad that he was able to pass off as likeable on his first day.

Sighing, he opened the lunch he got from the school. They insisted that he take something each day and took it upon himself to eat what they gave him. He looked out the window as he absentmindedly lifted the chopsticks to his mouth.

A voice said, right beside him, "Useless-Tsuna?", and he couldn’t help but turn towards the call. People used it as his regular name in Namimori middle so he was used to reacting to it. It earned a couple laughs from some of the students that heard but most just ignored them.

The voice was home to one of his old classmates though; Yamamoto Takeshi. He was the jock, but he was a likeable jock that was getting by on his kindness and how good he was at baseball. Everybody was his friend and he seemed to enjoy the attention. Yamamoto seemed more human in this school though; just visiting a friend that was admitted here by worried parents. 

Yamamoto smiled easily down at Tsuna who felt his lips twitch in response. He had nothing against Yamamoto, heck, he was the only person that gave Tsuna the time of day sometimes. 

"Hey Tsuna!” He said. He pulled out a seat from a neighbouring desk and sat down. “Nice to see you're okay now. I heard that you can't speak; is that true?" 

Tsuna shrugged, nodding. He looked down at his lunch again and poked through some of the rice.

"Well, I'm just here for our class as they heard about Oliver transfering and decided to make a card. Sorry but I don't have one for you as they didn't make one. But I'll come back tomorrow so we can talk some more, sound good? I’ll even bring a card for you!"

Tsuna was smiled, nodding. Yamamoto chattered casually with Tsuna the rest of the time until Oliver walked in from talking with his own room mate. He wished Tsuna a good day and made the same easy conversation with Oliver, the two joking and prodding fun at each other.

Tsuna tried not to linger on the two talking but he couldn’t help it. He was lonely as he never had that companionship that the two had. It was hard thinking that he might never get to joke around like that. 

He wasn’t able to think that long though as Reborn took Yamamoto’s vacated seat. Tsuna jerked back in surprise making Reborn stare at him in disdain.

“What? You think I’m some goblin come for your gold?” He asked sarcastically. 

Both of them had a small laugh over that. Reborn was back to his emotionless face quickly though and he tapped the desk beside Tsuna’s lunch. “Don’t stop eating just because I’m here, Tsuna. I know I’m a catch but you didn’t eat this morning either.”

Tsuna shrugged, continuing to pick at his food. Reborn watched him for a moment before looking away, looking where Tsuna had been.

“Isn’t Yamamoto the name of that popular sushi place?” 

Tsuna nodded, shrugging. He had been there once but it was so busy they had to leave since the store was running out of food. They hadn’t expected as much customers as they had so Tsuna didn’t get to have anything. He didn’t mind though since his mother promised to take him later on. Guess that was another promise that wouldn’t be fulfilled.

Reborn tapped the desk again, getting Tsuna’s attention. “There’s no use thinking when you should be eating. Here’s a deal: I’ll give you a pass on homework tonight if you finish half of this lunch.”

Deals and bets weren’t really where Tsuna liked to be but missing out on homework was a better thing to keep him going.

* * *

 

**Edited: 02/01/16**  
  



	3. Chapter 3

Tsuna grudgingly accepted the broom being held in front of his face. The boys in his class insisted that he stay behind and help clean. Their excuse was that they had better more important things to do and knew Tsuna didn't. It happened all the time. He was almost used to it now. He just wished that people wouldn't be so quick to push it on him. 

Tsuna tried to ignore the pain in his chest. It was annoying, the constant pain. It was mainly centred around his lungs and he guessed it was from how the smoke affected him. He tried to push away thinking about what had happened though. He didn't want to think about it. It hurt too much.

He finished as fast as he could, trying to escape the classroom that was suddenly too stuffy. He put the broom away and hurried out into the hall. Reborn was walking around the corner and Tsuna bumped into him in his haste to get home. It was the end of the day and he was tired. Tsuna merely bounced off Reborn, falling on his backside. He heard Reborn let out a small snicker and felt his face flame and heart quicken. 

“Why are you in such a hurry?” Reborn asked. Tsuna stumbled up but looked at the floor, shrugging. 

He held up three fingers, held up a thumb, and held his first two fingers and his thumb horizonatally across his chest. He paused, looking at Reborn to see if he got anything wrong.

“I know what you did, keep going.” Reborn prompted.

Tsuna continued spelling everything out, signing,  _"No like. Two [too] dust[y]"_

“Did you have cleaning duty?”

Tsuna nodded, frowning in distaste.

“Did you even try to protest”

He didn’t see how he could. He couldn’t speak and they would have pushed him back into the classroom if he tried to leave, if this was anything like how the two bullies in his old school did. Tsuna just shook his head though and Reborn made a small noise.

“Whatever. Try to stand up for yourself next time. People will see you as easy to walk over and soon you’ll be a bridge.”

 _‘Bridges are fun.’_ Tsuna signed. Reborn rolled his eyes, sighing a little.

* * *

 The next few weeks were a blur of activity. Tsuna was constantly getting more and more school work as he tried to catch up on the curriculum he missed. Reborn helped him the entire time, all the while keeping up with his own work. Tsuna was impressed and annoyed that Reborn was still doing so well. Apparently Reborn had skipped through a lot of different courses from how fast he completed them on his own, making it almost impossible to give him one set schedule. Luce, the headmistress, had designed his courses to be indivudual and online because of it. He still had to go to class so he wasn't seen as getting special treatment. 

The weekend was something Tsuna had hoped would be where he did nothing. Most of the time when he was bedridden, he was forced into physical therapy to gain better mobility in his joints. His dad had given him booklets on things to do so his schooling wasn't completely shot but they were for fourth grade learners. So the times he could do nothing important were ones he savoured. 

He wished he could sleep longer though. He was dragged out of bed by Reborn at eight so he could get ready for one of his last appointments to physical therapy. He was glad he was almost done. They had said he'd been progressing well and his joints were virtually back to the way they were. These last few appointments were to make sure they were all in the clear though. 

Tsuna didn't mind it but they always tried to push him to take his sweater off. He was more comfortable with it on but he did get hot and sweaty the first few times. But everything was finally easy to do, he could walk fine, he could move his wrists, there was no movement he couldn't do. So they eventually stopped trying to get him to take his sweater off.

When he was done, he noticed Iemitsu waiting for him. He grinned, throwing an arm around Tsuna, and badgered him asking how everything went. It went on for the entire drive home. Tsuna guessed this was Iemitsu trying to make up for the time he left Tsuna to his own devices.

Iemitsu dropped Tsuna off at the front of the school, shouting out the window, "Don't forget to give those girls a good shock!"

Tsuna looked back, embarrassed. He quickly walked up the steps and he could hear his dad's booming laughter until he closed the door behind him. He walked into his dorm, trying to forget about what just happened. It didn't work as people near the main lounge had heard everything and were snickering. Tsuna tried to hurry up, not wanting to be stopped and felt an extreme sense of deja vu when he walked into his dorm.

Yet again, Reborn was doing push-ups again, but this time with somebody else.

When the door closed, the two both stopped and looked over. Reborn looked collected as always and was barely sweating through his shirt. The other guy was scarlet as he huffed and puffed through a greeting, collapsing onto his stomach.

“I win.” Reborn announced. The person on the ground groaned and tried to protest but choked on his words.

“Not fair!” The guy announced. He finally regained his breathing and jumped onto his feet, getting in Reborn’s face. Reborn wasn't fazed as he headbutted the person.

“I won fair and square. Unless you want to go back on our bet, that is. I can always tell Lal-” Reborn started but the other guy spoke over him, cutting him off.

“Leave her out of this!”

“Alright then, puppy. Make sure she feeds you.”

“Maybe I should fetch you the bones of a lizard; give you something to summon.”

The two broke apart right as Reborn was about to sock the other in the jaw. Tsuna started moving towards the kitchen, not willing to get caught in a potential fight. But the other dude turned towards him, smiling.

“You must be Tsuna!” He said enthusiastically. “I’m Colonnello!”

“And I’m tired.” Tsuna heard Reborn mutter as he walked off. Colonnello shot him a look but didn’t say anything as he smiled back at Tsuna.

“ _Hello...[I’m] Tsuna; [just] Tsuna [is] fine._ ” He signed. He wanted to edge into the kitchen so he could get his inhalers but Colonnello looked confused and perplexed.

He turned to Reborn's retreating back and called out, "You wanna translate for me?"

Reborn stopped and turned to face them. "Repeat what you said, Tsuna. And you should know sign language."

"Hey! I know German sign language and that's it." 

Whatever." Reborn said. He turned to Tsuna. "Repeat what you said so the idiot will leave."

Tsuna did. He fumbled over what he was trying to say and looked down at his hands, trying to move slower. Reborn just waited though.

"He says hi and don't put anything on the end of his name. Just call him Tsuna like you were already doing." Reborn turned to Colonnello, waiting for some conformation he understood. When he nodded, Reborn turned back to Tsuna. "Make sure you entertain him with a laser. He likes shinny things."

Colonnello started to grumbled but Reborn said something to him in another language. Tsuna blinked, looking between the two as the conversation turned heated but in the end, Colonnello nodded and marched out. He gave a friendly smile to Tsuna before he left, waving as he went.

“[ _Sh_ _ould] I ask?_ ” Tsuna wondered. Reborn just shrugged.

“We were both speaking Italian.”

“[ _How] many languages [do] you know?_ ” Tsuna narrowed his eyes as he tried to remember how to spell languages. Reborn got it though.

He thought about Reborn knowing more than Japanese and got curious. He looked up hopefully at Reborn, who seemed kind of taken aback at how eager Tsuna looked to learn about him. Reborn took a second to think about his answer.

“I know Italian since I grew up in Italy, Japanese, English, Mandarin, German, Cantonese, French, Spanish, Russian, maybe some more...Those are the ones I can remember off the top of my head.”

Tsuna blinked in shock. He expected maybe a few more but not six.

“[ _Which] one[’s] you[r] best language_?” Tsuna asked. He walked over to the couch and sat down; Reborn joining him.

“Probably Italian but since I’m using Japanese more it’s getting easier to use it. It was pretty hard to adjust to speaking Japanese all the time since I was so used to speaking Italian.”

“Y _ou [do the] thing [where] you forget words [but] know [what it is in] another language_?”

“All the time. When I first met you, I almost started talking in Italian.”

“[ _How] much free time [did] you have_?”

“Too much.” Reborn smiled mischievously. “It makes for an interesting life though. People don’t actually think I could learn as many languages as I have."

Tsuna laughed but it ended in a coughing fit. Reborn watched with mildly concerned eyes, leaning forward to see Tsuna’s face.

“[ _I’m] fine, sorry_.” Tsuna said. He waved Reborn away and tried to regain himself but it didn’t work for long as he doubled over. Reborn swiftly got up and retrieved Tsuna’s inhaler he had stashed in the kitchen, handing it to Tsuna.

Tsuna tried to say something, temporarily forgetting he couldn't speak, and his throat closed down.

Reborn straightened Tsuna’s shoulders, holding them so his airways weren’t restricted. When he tried to let Tsuna sit on his own he almost fell over. Reborn furrowed his eyebrows and let Tsuna rest against him, holding him still and feeling Tsuna gasp and struggle to breathe.

* * *

  **Eduted: 01/18/17**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I didn't think this would be very good on here but I've seen a few people leave kudos, so thanks.  
> I'll try to update soon but I get lazy.  
> Comments are appreciated, especially with all the changes I'm making  
> -Gate


	4. Chapter 4

It was a weird couple of days. Tsuna had never experienced this. He guessed it was something akin to an asthma attack. He had little knowledge on how asthma worked but that’s what the nurse told him.

He had blanked out after a while, waking up in the infirmary the school had. Reborn was slouched in a seat, his feet kicked up onto the end of the bed and his chin tucked onto his chest. When Tsuna tried to sit up, Reborn snapped awake, leaning forward and pushing Tsuna back against the pillow.

“You’ve been out all night; don’t think moving so soon is a good thing.” Reborn said. Tsuna flailed his arms a little but didn’t protest too much. He was tired.

Reborn handed Tsuna his phone so he could speak.

 _“What happened?”_ Tsuna typed.

“You had an asthma attack. And before you say you don’t have asthma, you do. You have to stay here for most of the day in observation since this was a more serious attack. Whatever, whatever. You’re also excused from class so have fun with that.”

 _“Why aren’t you in class?”_ Tsuna asked.

“Because I was told I had to stay with you. The nurse had to leave ten minutes before you woke up so I have to sit with you and make sure you’re feeling okay before you can actually get up.”

_“Where’d the nurse go?”_

“There was some kid that was about to come into the school and the nurse went to see how his mental state is and how he’s feeling; all that.”

Tsuna nodded. He rubbed at his eye, trying to actually not fall asleep. Reborn didn’t seem to mind it though as he stood up, lifting his arms above his head, letting out a small cough. Tsuna was about to ask when Reborn shot him a glare, seeming to just remember Tsuna was there too.

“Get some more sleep. There’s nothing else you can do today since the nurse would murder you if you tried to lift a chair.” Reborn tossed a bag onto Tsuna’s lap before breezing out, closing the door with a snap.

Reborn was right, of course. The nurse almost fainted when Tsuna tried to get up. He immediately started lecturing Tsuna on the ways to make him heal better; to eat right, to rest up, to do as much exercise as he could. The speech was lost on Tsuna but he tried to listen, wanting to appease him. The nurse was scary.

He had a nice smile and was easy to talk to though. Tsuna enjoyed his time in the infirmary. But he still wanted to be able to go back to his dorm.

His dorm was the closest thing to home he had. His dad was hard to have a conversation with as he never shut up long enough for Tsuna to really contribute. But it was still lonely because his mom-

Tsuna breathed deeply, looking around quickly for something to distract himself. He started pulling at the sheets on the bed, feeling his breathing pick up. He didn't want to think about that; there was no  _need_ to think about his mom.

He looked at the ceiling in defeat, not knowing what to do as his thoughts kept circling back to that office, the fire, his mom yelling-

"Tsuna?" Reborn called. He was standing near his bed and Tsuna tried to look away so Reborn wouldn't see and make fun of him. But he just asked gently, "Can I sit with you?"

Tsuna looked over cautiously, not knowing where this was going. Reborn was probably just saying that so he could get close and whisper mean things to Tsuna and hurt him without having to stand over him.

But Reborn didn't do that. He just sat down on the edge of the bed when Tsuna finally nodded and offered his hand. Tsuna was too scared to do anything. He didn't know what was happening; everything was too much and he could smell smoke and his chest hurt and he couldn't breathe. He felt Reborn take his hand and it calmed him down a little. That small anchor to the rest of the world was a small comfort but he was still scared and he was crying, he thought.

It took him a while to finally calm down but he was still scared and he was sweating, shaking slightly. Reborn didn't say anything though as he push Tsuna down. "Go to sleep. You'll be tired."

Tsuna opened his mouth to say something but only ended up coughing. Reborn rubbed his thumb over Tsuna's knuckles, looking thoughtful. He seemed to realize Tsuna was looking at him though and quickly rearranged his face to be neutral again. 

"You have PTSD, Tsuna. I thought you were told?"

Tsuna furrowed his eyebrows, shaking his head. He would remember being told that he thought. Reborn looked annoyed and Tsuna hurriedly signed out,  _"sorry"._

"It's not your fault. Your dad didn't do what he was supposed to. PTSD, or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, is something that happens after you go through trauma. Yours was the fire. It's never been properly dealt with thanks to your dad."

Tsuna waved his hand, hurriedly signing, " _[What did] my dad [do]?"_

"He didn't believe the hospital. You were admitted for psychiatric help once. Your dad thought it was a mistake on his end when it was because you were struggling with mental health issues. He refused to let you seek any help with the hospital though, thinking that if you just got some better education you'd be magically cured." Reborn rolled his eyes. "It's coming back even worse because of him. We'll work through it."

Tsuna rubbed his eye, trying to process everything. He couldn't remember much from when he was on bed rest but he did remember vividly when he managed to get his pain medication and took too much. It was by no means an accident but his dad found him before he could completely stop breathing and took him to the hospital. He didn't remember much until after he came home where his dad was hovering a little bit more. That was a few months before Iemitsu finally told Tsuna he'd be going to the new school in town. 

Reborn handed Tsuna a water bottle and some snacks. "Eat these before you fall back asleep. You haven't ate anything yet."

Tsuna took them but just stared at them. His arms were too sore to even open the bag. He heard Reborn give a soft snort before taking the bag back and opening it for Tsuna. Reborn was really the only person Tsuna considered a friend. They never really did anything together except homework but the small moments like these made Tsuna think about how nice Reborn could be. He was always with his girlfriend so it wasn’t like there was much time they could have these moments but it just made him appreciate them that much more. 

Reborn stayed with Tsuna for another hour, waiting for him to fall asleep before he tried to move. He never let go of Tsuna's hands, still rubbing his hand soothingly along Tsuna's knuckles. It put Tsuna to sleep faster than he expected. When he woke up to Reborn still doing it, he felt his heart flutter. Just a little bit.

Finally, the time came when Tsuna was finally able to leave. He felt fine but he didn’t want to have to suffer through going back to the apartment and being alone. He went anyways; what could he do really.

Reborn was making something when he walked in. Tsuna sniffed in curiosity, dropping his bag of clothes near the door. It was the bag Reborn had thrown at him earlier. The bag had an extra pair of clothes and a toothbrush and it was greatly appreciated.

Tsuna crept into the kitchen, knocking on the door frame to announce he was there. Reborn wasn’t surprised though and just turned to look at Tsuna.

“I told them to call me when you were allowed to leave.” He said with a scowl. “I would have been there to walk you back.” Tsuna blinked in surprise.

Tsuna started to sign out something but Reborn stopped him. “I know what you’re going to say; ‘I don’t have to”. I know I don’t but I will anyways because it’s not fun walking back from a hospital alone.”

Tsuna decided to ignore that. It sounded like Reborn spoke from experience and he wasn’t sure he wanted to overturn that stone.

“I’m making pasta by the way, if you were wondering.” Reborn said after a beat of silence. “The food they send us is gross and I want no part of it.”

Tsuna snickered, agreeing. He walked closer and leaned around Reborn to see if he could help. He had tried but Reborn shooed him away, telling him to work on some of the signs he had been taught already; basically do anything but be around him when he was cooking. Reborn had a write to be wary of Tsuna in the kitchen as Tsuna was too clumsy for his own good. He still wanted to help though.

“You can help me by not being in my way. I don’t need help.” Reborn led Tsuna back into the living room and shoved Tsuna’s backpack into his chest. “Now get working, see what you can do.”

* * *

Everything seemed to be going fine that night. Tsuna was getting a good grasp on sign language and was finally getting better at using actual signs instead of spelling everything. It was so well that Reborn gave him a soft, "Great work. Get to bed early."

Reborn basically pushed Tsuna into his room after that, insisting he needed to get his own work done. Tsuna couldn't help but feel like Reborn was just concerned about his sleep though. 

And try as he might, Tsuna could not fall asleep. He ended up laying down for hours, just trying to get a couple hours in. It wasn't working though as the darkness in his room was too much. He had trouble with it as it was too claustrophobic for him and he found himself panicking until he managed to get some sort of light on so he could see everything.

So he dragged himself up to get something to drink. It was better than just laying there. He tiptoed as quietly as he could but ended up stumbling over the small dip where the hall floor met the living room. He just barely managed to keep himself up by flailing his arms wildly but he heard a snort that made him jerk, making him fall over finally. 

Reborn was looking at him from the kitchen table. The table was pushed up against the wall and in a little shadow as the light from the kitchen was on an adjacent wall. Tsuna hadn't even noticed Reborn at first and thought there was an intruder in the kitchen. Tsuna didn't expect for Reborn to even be up though and he narrowed his eyes questioningly. Reborn was reading something but he must've felt Tsuna staring as he looked up, an eyebrow raised curiously. 

“Do I even need to ask why you’re up, Tsuna?” Reborn asked.

Tsuna picked himself up, shrugging. He walked into the kitchen and started trying to reach the cups that Reborn had stored on the very top shelf. He had yet to grow anymore regardless of the promises from other doctors that he'd get taller. He felt like Reborn put the cups up that high just to mess with him. 

Thankfully, he heard Reborn getting up from the table and he looked hopefully over his shoulder. Reborn rolled his eyes when he saw Tsuna, reaching easily around Tsuna and grabbing a mug. He placed a hand on the small of Tsuna's back without thinking as he reached and heard a high pitched squeak from Tsuna.  

"Uncomfortable?" Reborn asked evenly. Tsuna gave a meek nod and Reborn handed him his cup, walking back to the table without another word. When Tsuna had his milk, he sat across from Reborn, tracing the grains in the linoleum printed table. Reborn didn’t feel the need to say anything so he kept reading, scribbling something into his notebook once in awhile. Tsuna frowned, laying his head on top of his arms.

He didn’t wanted to go back to bed. It was dark, stuffy, and lonely. Out here he at least had a person he could talk about it with. It's not like he would but having the option was nice.

Tsuna couldn’t help but stare absently at Reborn, completely ignoring everything as he read. Tsuna doubted it could be that interesting as it was math but he was curious as to why Reborn was so captivated by it. He wanted to ask but there seemed to be just a moment you couldn’t interrupt. Reborn seemed on edge a lot, ready to jump at a moment’s notice and always tense. So the moment where he looked at peace was always nice to see.

“What?” Reborn asked. He glanced up at Tsuna, who felt his face heat up and looked away, shrugging. “You were staring at me.”

Tsuna dragged a piece of paper out of the pile Reborn had next to his notebook and started writing with a spare pen. He slid it across the table to show Reborn what he had wrote, which was, “ _I’m curious how you’re so interested with math._ ”

“It’s easy.” Reborn said shortly. He didn’t offer anything else but Tsuna felt like there was more to it. He didn't have the energy to pry though so he let the silence stretch.

Reborn continuing to read and Tsuna trying to find something to do with his hands. Everything was eerily quiet; there was the occasional sputtering of the heating, sporadic little noises going throughout the rooms of different appliances trying to work, the idle footsteps from people in surrounding rooms, the infrequent small coughs Tsuna couldn’t help but emit. The environment felt more welcoming then anything his dad could offer.

That just made him sad though. His mother was the one thing that kept him grounded and since she was gone that was the only constant in his life, gone. His dad was usually busy at work all hours of the day. That meant he didn’t come home until near six and was in bed almost immediately to go back into the grind of working life. It was gruelling and had cost so much time Iemitsu and Tsuna could have used to spend time together. But after his mother died, Iemitsu threw himself back into work more then ever. Since Tsuna had been bed-ridden for a few weeks, he was basically wasting away with no company and the fact Iemitsu didn’t try to stay by his side for a few extra hours just locked down that distrust he harboured.

“What’s wrong.” Reborn said. He didn't pose it like a question. He looked over the edge of his book at Tsuna, having been watching Tsuna’s face slowly morph into the melancholic look he had now. 

But Tsuna tried to deny it, waving his hand and smiling to try and offset his eyes. It wasn’t working though and Reborn closed his book and slide it to the side.

“This isn’t something to wave off, Tsuna.” Reborn said. He got up and started gathering his things into a neat pile. "You might not be ready to talk about it yet and that's okay too. Don't bury this for too long though."

It looked like there was struggle in Tsuna’s entire being. He was on the verge of saying something but he still really didn’t want to. Reborn didn't push it though as he started walking off, saying behind him, "I'll be in my room if you need me. _Whenever_ you need me."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tell me what you think, it's very much appreciated if you comment. Especially with all the edits I'm doing lmao  
> -Gate


	5. Chapter 5

Tsuna sat up for a little while longer, just mulling things over, before he even felt remotely ready to go back to bed. He really just wanted to have a dreamless sleep and for once he kind of got what he asked for. Kind of.

It wasn’t exactly peaceful but his dream wasn’t even hard to follow. It was straight up and showed him what was happening without twists and turns hidden in there along the way. It wasn’t even that scary. He just woke up by twisting out of bed and onto the floor.

This was like a ritual though since he seemed to fall out of bed at least once a week. It was annoyingly common and Tsuna honestly felt that pushing his bed up against the wall would be best for himself and the people in the dorm below his.

Reborn, of course, heard him fall, and walked in to see what was happening. And he chuckled at Tsuna twisted in the blanket. He didn’t even offer any help as he just walked back out. What a great person, Reborn had been. 

But Tsuna wasn’t phased as he just picked himself back up after calming down his embarrassment. Reborn was back in his room, pulling on socks when Tsuna knocked on his door. It was still 5 in the morning but that didn’t seem to mind Reborn. He looked like he was ready to go sprint a marathon in a sweatshirt and pants.

“I’ll be back in about an hour, Tsuna.” Reborn told him. Tsuna nodded. He backed away from the door so Reborn could step out and almost pressed against the wall in his haste. Reborn ignored it as he kept talking, “If you want to tell me something, now would be the time since when I get back we have to get ready for school.”

Tsuna held up a finger and scattered into his room, digging his phone out of his nightstand drawer. He tapped out a small message and bounded out into the hall going to where Reborn was waiting by his door. He looked mildly surprised Tsuna was so full of energy this morning and accepted the phone without question.

The message was simple and explained why he fell out of his bed. It just seemed to amuse Reborn even more now that he had a backstory. He had a small smirk on his face as he handed Tsuna’s phone back to him.

“Good to know you have an accurate nickname.” Reborn said, still smirking.

Usually the jab would sting and annoy the crap out of Tsuna; oddly enough though, coming from Reborn, it didn’t feel like it was used in spite. It was an improvement almost. So Tsuna found himself smiling a little bit wider in spite of himself as Reborn walked down the hall.

Reborn was off as quick as could be, leaving the apartment and shutting the door so softly, Tsuna hadn’t realized it had clicked shut. That didn’t matter though since he’d be able to get a little bit more sleep. He was tired and he wanted to be able to do nothing. So he crawled back into his bed and into a dreamless sleep for once.

He was shaken awake too soon and it felt impossible to get out of bed. It was like there was a weight pressing against his chest, preventing him from being able to get up easily. He sighed, struggling into a sitting position and slumping forward. He held his face in his hands and tried to wake up more but it felt like his limbs were concrete.

Everything seemed like too much and it was hard. He hadn’t realized how easy it had been before and now Tsuna felt everything crash back down onto him. He let a small, almost inaudible groan as he finally shifted and stumbled out of his blankets. He stood by his bed, his arms intanlged in the sheets, the warmth he had collected slowly seeping out of him, and he suddenly felt the urge to cry.

It was so infuriatingly strong that he almost started. There wasn’t a reason for why he felt this bad, he thought it would be a good day from how excited and ready for everything he had felt only two hours earlier. But depression never cared and struck when it wanted to.

Tsuna sighed, rubbing his eyes as he dragged himself through his morning routine.

This was going to be a long day for him.

* * *

The two had an idle morning. They were both ready and just waiting for a time that was suitable to go. Reborn and Tsuna both had classroom duty this morning so they had to leave earlier but Tsuna would have much rather he’d gone back to bed.

"I'm leaving now." Reborn said, slipping his shoes on. “So get your stuff together. I have to make sure you do your part too.”

Tsuna dragged himself through the house and was soon walking down the hall together. 

The school was sinister from how quiet it was this early. Usually it was bustling with students hooting and hollering at each other as they made it to class or back home. But now it was silent and creaked with the wind howling outside.

It was quiet up until the two of them stumbled across two people talking in a classroom. Reborn was all for ignoring it but Tsuna heard his own name and caught Reborn’s wrist. If people were gossiping about him, he’d rather have Reborn with him in case he was found. Reborn was too popular for his own good.

"I still say that we can easily make Reborn like us if we're nice. It's not like he'll even glance at us if we try to take Tsuna back to Namimori high." A girl said in a hushed voice. She seemed way too into it, like she was talking about homework rather than Reborn. She was talking to somebody with pink hair by what he was able to see from the crack in the door. Reborn rolled his eyes as he knew immediately who it was.

"Yet it would be easier if we made it look like Tsuna was fed up with living like a five year old, having somebody baby him every minute of the day." The pink haired girl said. 

Tsuna and Reborn glanced at each other and both came to an agreement that this was weird. Tsuna looked away hurriedly so he didn’t start laughing though. Reborn looked like he was close to smiling which was as good as laughing.

"Why don't we just wait a while to see what happens with Tsuna. It's not like he'll make any friends with how wimpy he looks." The other person said. It sounded like their voices were moving closer to the door so the two scampered down the hall. They quickly hid behind a corner and watched two people walk out of the classroom not even ten seconds later.

Tsuna was a little miffed at the last comment. They weren’t wrong since Tsuna was too scrawny for his own good but it still hurt to hear it out loud.

Reborn straightened and walked back a few steps to make it look like he wasn't even near the door. It was good because as soon as he started walking forward again the door opened, Haru and Bianchi stepped out.

He tipped his fedora down in a mildly polite greeting before he walked off without even looking at their shocked faces.

The rest of the school day was as uneventful as you could imagine it. Tsuna suffered through three hours of school before lunch. Reborn came by again and ate with him so that wasn’t too bad. Everything else was unbearable though and he really tried to be more enthusiastic, he really did, but there wasn’t much point.

It didn’t make it better that somebody had accidentally bumped into him, sending flailing wildly as he tried to regain his balance. He ended up going down a small flight of stairs, his books and papers scattering. So that just improved his day. A couple people stopped to help but soon moved on when they had gathered a small pile and handed them to him.

Tsuna rubbed his chin and tried to ignore the growing embarrassment pooling in his gut. His face was too heated and he was more nervous of bumping into anybody else as he walked into his next class. It was one of the duller subjects and he felt he was going to have to keep his eyes pried to even stay awake.

But when he entered his class, he did a double take to the person next to his usual spot. Yamamoto was sitting there, doodling in the margins of his notebook as he waited for the teacher to come in. It was unsettling to see somebody in his class that used to be in his class before. He always thought of Yamamoto as untouchable; the two never really allowed to talk to each other from how much of a pecking order the school seemed to have. It seemed no different in this school but it wasn’t as heightened as in Namimori. 

But here, Yamamoto looked like just another student. He was slouched over, curled in on himself like he was afraid to move too much, his eyes downcast and averted from anybody passing by the desks. It was weird and too hard to look at from how vulnerable he looked.

Almost as if he noticed Tsuna's gaze on him, Yamamoto glanced over at him. He did a double take as he realized who was sitting by the window. Yamamoto's face stretched into a tight smile, delightfully surprised he saw Tsuna. 

“Hiya there!” Yamamoto said. He shifted his chair closer so he wasn’t talking so loud. “I forgot you went here!”

Tsuna couldn’t help but smile shyly at that. He whipped out his phone and tapped out a quick message, telling Yamamoto, “ _ Hello, I’m glad to see a friendly face. _ ”

It seemed to help as some of the tension in Yamamoto’s face melted away and his smile became a little less forced, if only a little bit. 

“Glad to be here. Namimori was too stuffy for me.” He joked. Tsuna gave a weak laugh, nodding. Namimori was something else entirely.

Tsuna was about to start typing out another message but the teacher walked in, prompting everybody to take their seats. Tsuna frowned in disappointment. He wanted to talk to Yamamoto more because there was a reason he was here.

If he was a roommate he’d also not be in Tsuna’s class. So the only real solution was that Yamamoto was here for a mental or physical issue. 

Tsuna glanced over out of his peripheral and saw that there were a few bumps and bruises going along the length of Yamamoto’s throat and Tsuna’s eyes widened in apprehension. He shot a quick glance over and he didn’t know why but he wanted to see  _ something _ to signal he was more than alright. But there was the unmistakable bags under Yamamoto’s eyes; the drag in his arms that showed he was in slight pain; the way he held himself just screamed something happened.

Tsuna sighed through his nose angrily. He really hoped things worked themselves out.

 


	6. Chapter 6

Reborn was waiting for him in the hall when the bell rang. He was leaning against the window sill and staring at nothing as he waited. People gave him looks, turning to their friend with hushed whispers as they talked about him excitedly. Tsuna knew Reborn could hear them and saw the slight smirk he was wearing. Tsuna would probably never understand Reborn.

When he noticed Tsuna was walking to him, he stood up. It was impressive considering how tall he was and he ended up towering over most people. Tsuna wasn't as lucky as he had to struggle to even try to get by the tidal wave of students going through the halls. He broke through the tide easily and took Tsuna by the elbow, gently guiding him to a stairwell. They got out of the thick of the crowd easily, only a few people taking this route. Tsuna bowed his head in appreciation and Reborn nodded.

“I thought I’d help you out there. It’s a Friday and being on the main level isn’t the best thing on a Friday.” Reborn explained as he started up the stairs. Tsuna followed at a much slower pace and was surprised when he saw Reborn waiting for him at the top of of every flight.

When Tsuna tried to shakily sign out a question, Reborn waved it off. “I’m not going to how you into a stairwell then leave you. You could fall again.”

“ _You know [of that?]_ ” Tsuna asked, stopping and thinking over what sign he needed.

“Word travels fast in a school. Especially when nobody has much to do other than gossip.”

“ _No[t like it's] important._ ”

“People gossip about anything and everything. Especially since they’re grasping at straws to talk to me these days.”

“ _You [seem] con-fi-dent_.”

“Because I have a grasp at the hierarchy this school has. It’s annoyingly tedious but since people think I’m amazing they want to talk to me. They aren’t wrong either.”

Tsuna pursed his lips but didn’t say anything else. He was too busy trying to not hyperventilate then bicker over Reborn’s image.

They walked back into their dorm but Reborn froze in the doorway, looking straight ahead at somebody sitting in the living room. Tsuna peeked around Reborn but hide back behind him as the pink haired lady from before, Tsuna finally remembered her name was Bianchi, was sitting on the couch. Her entire face simpered and contorted happily when she saw Reborn walk in and she shot up, rushing over to him.

“Oh, my love!” She said in a sing-song voice. “I waited for you to get back!”

“You didn’t have to.” Reborn said tersely. She didn’t register the tense atmosphere as she cupped his head in her hands.

Tsuna reached out and tugged on Reborn’s wrist, looking at his feet. He held up his pinky, held his hand palm up, pressed his middle and ring finger down so the other two popped up, put three fingers facing the floor, and holding his first two fingers and thumb splayed towards the floor. Reborn took a second to think before nodding, recognizing the finger spelling as, “I’m leaving”, and signed back, “Waiting”,

When Tsuna registered what Reborn had said, he was gone, retreating as quickly as possible back to the hallway. It was always gross looking at how infatuated Bianchi was with Reborn, you just never really saw that. It also reminded him of how his parents used to interact. He liked to avoid that subject.

But now that he was gone he realized he had dropped his backpack in the doorway and left so fast he didn’t pick it up again. He had his phone in his pocket but there wasn’t much he could do with it. He had kind of a habit of reading news articles though so he decided he would do that on the roof since that’s the farthest away he could get from Reborn and Binachi as possible.

As he walked up there, it sounded like there was a small commotion going on. People were running to the roof, talking in low, excited voices as they went. He couldn’t hear what they said as they went by too fast for him to hear so he gave up. He was curious as not much exciting happened in this school.  He didn't try to hurry after everybody but kept going to the roof at his own pace. 

Tsuna heaved a sigh of relief when he finally made it to the roof door. He had climbed too many stairs and he was huffing hard enough to blow the door down. He opened it and winced at the sharp creak it had, slipping through the crack he could make. The door was heavy and it was a little embarrassing that he was only able to open it so much. He ignored that thought though as he saw the crowd gathered around the fence. 

They were looking over at somebody standing on the edge. They were gripping onto the chain link of the fence but they were teetering too close for it to be comfortable. Tsuna tried to step around to see who it was until he felt himself being pushed forward until he was suddenly in the middle, the only thing close enough to speak to Yamamoto.

"Hey, Tsuna!" Yamamoto tried to sound cheerful, like this was an everyday conversation, but there was a shake to his voice. It was a mix of grief, fear, anger, and sadness that made his voice shake and Tsuna felt his stomach churn.

 Tsuna hurriedly pulled out his phone, typing out and showing Yamamoto, " _I can't talk so I have to use my phone. Why are you doing this?"_

Yamamoto let out a bitter laugh. "Why am I doing this? Well, i broke my arm and nobody's treated me the same since. I'm always the slacker, the loose end, the weak one on the team. I'm the star player. I'm supposed to be the one to take us all the way to the championship."

He faltered, looking longinly at the ground. It was too much. He had always felt distant from everybody in school but he didn't know that it was like this. Nobody liked him unless he was the baseball star of Namimori. If he wasn't that...what was he?

Tsuna snapped his fingers to get Yamamoto's attention and held up his phone. " _You're on a team, aren't you? You pull your weight than have your team help with what you can't do."_

"Yes, that's usually it. But I hit the ball really far, make it go boosh."

_"I'm not good at anything but if I take a break and then come back to something, that helps me focus better. Maybe you just have to have a break."_

"I don't want to take a break, Tsuna. You wouldn't understand, you've never done anything."

Tsuna blinked in shock. Yamamoto had never joined in with the class teasing but he tried not to let it get to him. He was just angry at everything. It still stung a little bit though. And Tsuna didn't know what else to say so he did the only thing he could think of. 

He quickly typed out something, slipped his phone back into his pocket, and climbed over the fence. Tsuna hadn't really noticed the noise going on behind him but he did when he settled on the edge. There was a lot of screaming, crying, and yells for Yamamoto to get down. None for Tsuna though.

"Tsuna...What are you-?" 

Tsuna carefully pulled his phone out and handed it to Yamamoto. " _If you won't come over, I'll join you. I don't want you dead, at least."_

Yamamoto looked thoughtful, almost stunned. Tsuna felt a blush creeping up his collar when he realized what he had said. Most people don't usually tell people they don't want them to die. It was the truth though. Tsuna felt a sort of kinship with Yamamoto. They were always the lower two in classes. Whenever one had a slightly higher score than usual, they'd high five. Or they'd shrug if they got a worse mark. That small bond was enough to keep Tsuna moving because he enjoyed having  _something_ and he didn't want to have that small connection gone so suddenly. 

There was nothing for Tsuna to do though as he couldn't say what he wanted to without taking his hands off the fence. He didn't think he needed to though as Yamamoto sighed. He looked like he was thinking before he finally nodded.

"Alright", Yamamoto said. "Sorry to worry you guys!"

Yamamoto climbed back over the fence, Tsuna following close behind. 

It was perfect timing as Luce stormed onto the roof, looking livid at everybody gathered before walking forward, grabbing Yamamoto and dragging him away. Tsuna blinked, surprised he wasn't taken too. He didn't complain though as he fell into the group being herded into the school again by teachers.  

 

When he got to the dorm, Reborn was sitting on the couch reading his math book and Bianchi was nowhere in site. He looked up to see who walked in and closed his book with a snap.

“Why did you almost jump?" He demanded. Tsuna flinched, terrified at Reborn's tone.

" _No!_ " Tsuna signed hurriedly. He stumbled as he tried to get close to Reborn so he could see better. " _Yamamoto [was already on the] edge and [he wouldn't] come over [and] I [didn't] know [what to] say."_

Reborn looked skeptical but didn't push it. He would know all the details the minute he checked his phone anyways. He had to put it on silent from how many times it had buzzed in the last hour. Tsuna sat down shakily, staring at the floor. 

 _"Where['s] Bianchi?"_ Tsuna asked after a while.

"We had a fight. Same thing as always but it's been one time too many that it's been the cause of a fight. We broke up so careful. She has it in her head that I'm leaving her for you."

" _Me?_ " Tsuna looked incredulously up at Reborn. What could he possibly do that would've seduced Reborn away from Bianchi.

Reborn shrugged before he got up. "I'm going to bed; coming?"

Tsuna looked around, wondering if Reborn was serious. He had always joked about the two sharing a bed to help calm Tsuna down enough to sleep. This time felt different than usual though. Reborn rolled his eyes, motioning for Tsuna to follow him. 

"I don't mind, Tsuna. This just means I won't be able to wake you up with fun ways anymore."

 

 

* * *

  **Edited: 02/05/16**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It'd be great if you could comment, see how the edits make the story better and all that. 
> 
> -Gate


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reviews are appreciated, especially with the corrections to the entire skeleton i’m making.  
> -Gate

Tsuna had a doctor's appointment that day. Reborn picked him up before lunch ended and the two left. Tsuna was vibrating with excitement as this was the appointment where he would be told if he could talk again. He missed talking. It was probably not that vital but he was lazy and the act of learning sign language was exhausting to him. He could talk well with it but he would rather just use his voice.

The appointment itself was straight to the point. They did some tests and a general checkup before he was finally given a verdict. The doctor was monotone and apathetic, giving Tsuna the good news that, with some vocal therapy, he'd be able to regain a majority of his vocal range back. Tsuna was ecstatic and even Reborn seemed mildly happy at this fact. He didn't do much except smirk but Tsuna didn't care, he knew that Reborn would say something later. 

Everybody was mulling about when the two walked back on campus. A lot of people stopped Reborn to talk. Tsuna just wanted to go back to their dorm so he stepped through the crowd after signing that he was going ahead. Reborn nodded, slightly disappointed. He was hoping Tsuna would stick around so it was an excuse to leave but he was now trapped to talk to these people without somebody to suffer with him.

Tsuna walked through the halls on his own after that. Yamamoto was still in a class probably. They had a test. Tsuna didn't have to do it though since he was going to the doctors. He'd just have an assignment to complete instead of doing the test. He tried to ignore the weight in his chest. He felt lonely walking through the halls. It reminded him of the years he had nobody to walk with or talk to. Everybody steered clear so that they wouldn't get caught being bullied too or just had no interest in talking to him. He couldn't blame them as he wasn't that interesting.

Back in his dorm, Tsuna flopped onto his bed. He was so tired. He didn't get why he was tired though as he slept almost the entire night. He was hoping he could take a nap but he only managed to doze off and on. By the time he had almost gotten into a deeper sleep, he woke up from somebody talking.

It was Reborn’s voice. Tsuna sat up, rubbing his eye. He meant to go out and greet Reborn but he realized that Reborn was speaking heatedly. He wasn't speaking Japanese, Tsuna knew that. He was on the phone most likely since Tsuna couldn't hear any reponse to what Reborn was saying. 

Tsuna sighed, pulling his phone towards him. He had a habit of poking around different wikipedia articles when he was board. He wasn't sure how he picked it up but he started doing it when he was stuck on bed rest. He tapped along the case of his phone as he kept reading, liking the idle noise to make up for the silence. Reborn had stopped talking and seemed to be pacing. Tsuna was kind of concerned about what he was even talking about.

He rubbed at his chest a little as he shifted, moving down farther underneath his blanket. He tried to ignore the painful knot he had. He wasn't sure if that was the pain he always had or if it was something different. 

Reborn swept into his room a little bit later. He was so silent that when he started saying something, Tsuna jerk in surprise and almost dropped his phone. It bounced harmlessly onto the bed next to him and Tsuna shot up, looking at Reborn questioningly.

"You haven't eaten all day.” Reborn said. He was in the doorway, looking in at Tsuna piercingly. “Eat something now before I force it down your throat."

Tsuna made a face at Reborn, getting up, and walking towards the kitchen. He forgot he hadn’t had anything and felt embarrassed he actually didn’t realize how hungry he was. He started pulling out some stuff to make a sandwich immediately, wanting to make the sandwich as fast as possible. Reborn watched critically, making sure Tsuna didn't knock anything over or trip over nothing like he usually did.

Reborn looked away, towards the hall with the door, when he heard somebody knocking. He left to answer it, Tsuna glancing over curiously. He coughed again into his shoulder and continued making his food. He rubbed over his heart to ease the pain flaring but it was like that small action caused the floodgates to open as his entire chest convulsed.

Before he knew it, the tightness was back; and it was worse than before. His breathing came in gasps, pins and needles running down the length of his arms. He tried to breathe out and calm down but it made everything worse; everything burned and even trying to breathe less hurt as everything constricted more. He felt like he was drowning in air.

His lungs seized up again, worse this time, and he slipped to the ground. He caught himself on the counter, trying to holding himself steady as he wheezed but his vision got fuzzy around the edges, making him feel dizzy. He clenched a hand into the fabric of his shirt as his chest tightened again. He coughed into his hand and it came out harsher than what should be natural or good for his throat. He remembered idly wondering if this was going to affect his throat in any way.

He felt somebody prying his hand off of the edge of the counter but he was too dazed to focus. He was pulled against somebody’s chest, breathing in the scent of grass and the manufactured ‘outdoors’ scent detergent had. He had no idea who was holding him up, holding his back straight and getting him to breathe in his inhaler. He just griped whatever he could as he tried to remember how he had to breathe.

Somebody was rubbing his back slowly, and it was something he could concentrate on. His breathing came clearer and he realized it was Reborn holding him up. He wasn't sure who else he had expected, really. But the small relief didn't last as he was wheezing and coughing again. It felt worse, more intense, this time though. He tried to move his arms to sign something but they were like blocks of concrete. Too heavy and hard to move.

Tsuna wasn't sure how long the cycle of relief then pain worse than he could explain went on. But he felt himself becoming light headed and he knew he was going to pass out soon. He had heard Reborn talking to somebody but only later did he realize it was staff. He was just confused as he was being put onto a bed and rolled down the hall.

He had no idea where he was, what was happening, or why it was happening. Tsuna was pretty sure he had passed out a couple times, waking up to something being poked into his arm, something being strapped to his face. He couldn’t keep up with what was happening. All he could really feel was how much pain he was in as it felt like his chest was trying to cave in on itself.  Everytime he breathed in, it felt like drinking fire. Breathing out was slightly better as there was less burning and it felt more like he had pins poking his esophagus.

There was always somebody beside him too. They were wiping his forehead, pushing his hair back, talking to him in a syrupy voice that just made him feel like he was five. He didn’t like whoever was doing it. They were too condescending, like they were trying too hard to be nice.

Soon, all the doctors left him, mild sedation kicking in as he felt his limbs grow heavy and his eyes itch in their attempt to stay open. The nurse beside him, a friendly-faced younger woman, gave one final wipe off of his forehead before she too left.

Then it was just him. He wasn’t sure why he wanted to stay awake but he wanted to have somebody he knew walk in. His dad, Reborn, even Yamamoto would be welcomed. He didn’t want to fall asleep alone because he was always scared that’s how he would wake up too.

Just as he had resolved to sleep, the door opened and a flurry of footsteps came into the room. Tsuna felt his head flop over uselessly as Reborn came into sight. He looked blank-faced as always but his eyes portrayed how panicked he actually felt. They were too wide and he was out of breath. Tsuna knew for a fact that Reborn never got winded easily and the fact he was out of breath seemed weird.

“Good to know you made it through.” Reborn said. His voice was as breathless as Tsuna thought.

“I _[’m] fine_.” Tsuna signed sloppily.

He lifted his hand and managed to pat Reborn’s face before he couldn't stay awake anymore. His eyes burned too much to stay open. Reborn tucked Tsuna’s arm at his side and got comfortable in the provided chair, not even arguing when Tsuna sleepily took Reborn's hand in his.

There was a lot of ambient noise. There wasn’t any private room for the infirmary the school had. All private hospital rooms were for students that needed extra care and help from a medical staff. There were a few curtains that sanctioned off everybody else’s bed and Tsuna’s were pulled after Reborn had walked in. They were a gaudy fluorescent green in the blue tinged light that hurt to look at. Reborn had tried to get here quicker but he had to iron out everything.

Tsuna would have to miss class if he wasn’t released tomorrow and he had to excuse him. Then he had to tell Luce that there wasn’t going to be anybody in his apartment because of how they were both at the hospital. 

Reborn wasn't too happy to be here with Tsuna as Reborn hated hospitals. They smelled of death and sickness and too much antibacterial soap. There were too many things in hospitals that were nightmare fuel and reminded Reborn of too much. He tried to get comfortable though as he was there and there was no leaving. Tsuna probably wouldn’t want to wake up alone anyways.

Reborn kicked his feet up onto the end of the bed and slouched into the chair. He tipped his head back and closed his eyes. He wasn’t sure if he was trying to fall asleep or block out everything around him but it was better then nothing.

The constant beeps, moans, and sighs of the people and machines around him helped him tune everything out. It was a constant that was easily ignored by his thoughts as he slowly got used to them. He started thinking about random things. small flashes of thoughts and ideas that were there briefly before another thought replaced the previous. Some lasted, others didn’t, and it was enough to distract Reborn for a majority of the night. He was able to sleep fitfully in his chair but it wasn’t very well.

He heard doctors and nurses walking by, their footsteps echoing in the eerily silent ambience. Somebody walked into the small room Tsuna and he were in and she gave a small dip of her head towards Reborn before checking on Tsuna. He was still sedated so he wouldn’t be stirring for another few hours and the nurse let him know that if he did wake up sooner to get a nurse to check on him. Like he didn’t know that before.

Tsuna didn’t wake up though; only shifting and moving so his hand was thrown onto Reborn’s wrist. It looked like he was about to wake up but when he felt somebody next to him, he sighed lightly and his eyes fluttered shut again. In no time his eyes were working underneath his eyelids in dreams only he knew.

Reborn didn’t let go and let Tsuna hold his hand. It must have been easier on Tsuna, knowing somebody was there.

* * *

  **Edited: 01/31/17**


	8. Chapter 8

Tsuna woke up with multiple flutters of his eyes and a painful twinge in his gut. He didn’t know where he was and he felt somebody holding his hand but he didn’t remember anybody coming in. He really hoped that the nurse from before wasn’t back. He blinked to clear his vision and looked over to see who was beside him.

No matter how much he tried to prepare himself, Tsuna still wasn’t prepared to see Reborn there. He never really took Reborn for a person to hold hands so willingly. Tsuna wasn’t even sure this was willingly though.

The minute Reborn realized Tsuna was awake and watching him, he yanked his hand out of Tsuna’s. He had a mild sneer as he shifted back into a sitting position, letting his feet drop down, shifting his shoulders around to loosen them. Tsuna waited for Reborn to say something, wanting to know what happened, but Reborn didn’t offer anything. He just readjusted himself to be more comfortable.

“What?” Reborn asked. He shot a look over at Tsuna. “Why are you staring?”

Tsuna jerked back, clumsily trying to bring his hands up. He managed to spell out, “ _Curious_ ” before Reborn waved off his signs.

“You want to know what happened, right?” He asked. Tsuna nodded eagerly but regretted it after it stirred up a headache. Reborn sighed but didn’t comment. “You were taken to the infirmary. You’ve been here all night and last time I checked you might not be released today so get comfortable.”

Tsuna made a face but it wasn’t very effective from how he had an oxygen mask covering almost half of his face. Reborn ignored it and handed Tsuna something. He didn’t register what it was but Reborn was already up and leaving.

It was a bag but there seemed to be stuff in it like toothpaste and other toiletries. Tsuna wasn’t sure if he’d be able to use them though since it seemed like he might need the mask.

A nurse came in soon after and started doing things with the machines, asking how he felt, if he remembered the procedure of what would happen. She left after a few minutes, ruffling his hair playfully. He liked her a lot better than the other nurses he had taking care of him.

Soon though, he was alone again. Reborn came back in, a bottle of water swinging from his hands as he went. When Tsuna pointed to it questioningly, he refused to answer and just batted the question away, instead, answering with, “Yamamoto’s here.”

Tsuna jerked in surprise, his eyes brightening in excitement. Reborn just rolled his eyes.

Yamamoto walked in a few minutes later and soon the two were talking away. Reborn acted as the translator for Tsuna since he could only use sign language. He had been getting better at it and remembered the signs a lot easier. Reborn was surprised how fast he actually picked it up. But Tsuna was getting tired soon and Reborn forced them to stop talking.

“Tsuna’s about to fall asleep; we need to leave so he can.” Reborn said. He got up and Yamamoto reluctantly followed suit.

“I’ll be back later, okay?” Yamamoto promised, giving an easy smile to Tsuna.

Tsuna waved at the two as they left, falling asleep a few minutes after they were gone.

Reborn stuffed his hands into his pants pocket as he walked back to the dorm part of the school with Yamamoto. The two made idle talk, not really going in depth to much. But it was easy to walk together like this because both didn’t really feel the need to say anything.

They separated at the Reborn's dorm as it came first. Before Reborn could retreat into his dorm for a nap though, he felt somebody tap his shoulder. He turned, almost glaring at the person before he realized it was just Bianchi. She smiled up at Reborn. Since he was almost a head taller than Bianchi, he had to look down when she talked.

"Hello, Love!" Bianchi practically purred as she talked. Reborn had no idea why she was so friendly with him right after they broke up. It wasn’t even a full twenty-four hours and she was all over him again.

"Hello", he said. He dipped his head before he unlocked his door. That didn't deter Bianchi in anyway though as she Followed Reborn inside.

"Don't be like that!" Bianchi protested. "I only came to ask if you would go on a date with me tonight."

“No.” He said. He walked off into his room. Bianchi still followed though. "I'm going to bed; leave."

Bianchi pouted, crossing her arms. She stood near the door, not saying anything as Reborn got ready for bed. "There's no need to be so mean. We've known each other since we were kids!"

"We aren't dating anymore, Bianchi. I would much rather sleep on my own. Please, show yourself out."

Reborn climbed into bed, flopping under the covers finitely. Bianchi sniffed before leaving. Reborn was relieved and also slightly guilty. He knew she meant well. The two had been dating on and off for years so she was bound to be attached. But he couldn't handle some things she tried to tell him. It was exhausting.

Before Reborn could fall asleep though, his phone he had put on his bedside table rang. He sighed as he grabbed it, seeing the caller ID as Tsuna. He had no idea why he would be calling but he picked up anyways, saying a tired, "Hello?"

"Is this Mr. Reborn?" Somebody that definitely wasn't Tsuna said.

"Yes, how may I help you?"

"Ah, I was just calling to let you know that some people have come to visit Tsuna and he seems uncomfortable. I would like you to come and varify that these people aren't a threat to Tsuna before they can visit again. If that is okay?"

"Sure", Reborn said, trying to swallow a yawn. "I'll be over soon. Just give me a few minutes."

"Of course, thank you for your time."

Reborn grumbled as he got up, throwing pants on and pulling his shoes on. He just wanted to take a nap. Was that too much to ask?

* * *

Tsuna woke up to voices around him and was curious as to how there were so many people in hi room. He didn't believe it but when he opened his eyes, he sincerely regretted it. He expected Reborn and had hoped Yamamoto to be there; he did not expect to see his ex-girlfriend there though.

The last they had spoken, she left in tears and hurting. It made him feel worse about everything and he had resolved to never speak to her again. Yet she was sitting there talking easily with Reborn.

Reborn was the first to realize he was awake and he smirked over at him. It made Tsuna get shivers because it felt like he was about to get beat. But Reborn just looked back at Kyoko and listened to her talk about something. Tsuna clued in at the middle of the conversation and heard stuff about him at his old school and was extremely curious as to how they got onto this topic.

Kyoko looked over and stopped abruptly, emitting a small ‘oh!’, of excitement as she realized Tsuna was awake. She smiled brilliantly at him and he looked away, finding his blanket very exciting.

He heard Yamamoto laugh and he looked up to see Yamamoto and Ryohei talking together just outside of the door. He was surprised Ryohei was there because last time they talked Tsuna was getting threatened by him because he made Kyoko cry. It was honestly the exact moment Tsuna thought he would die.

“Good to know you grew out of the screeching phase, Tsuna.” Reborn commented as he got up. Tsuna looked over quickly in confusion before he glanced accusingly towards Kyoko. She had the grace to look away at leas but her hand was covering her smile.

Tsuna waved so Reborn would look at him as he signed, “ _Please tell me she didn’t tell you much._ ”

“She said enough.” Reborn amended before he swept off to tell Ryohei and Yamamoto that Tsuna was awake.

They both piled in and Tsuna felt his heart stop a little bit in fear. Last time he talked with Ryohei had affected him as Ryohei was an accomplished boxer in their school. The prospect of being on Ryohei’s bad side was not something Tsuna wanted.

But Ryohei seemed excited to see Tsuna, bouncing in place as he sized Tsuna up. Reborn settled back into his seat and didn’t seem to bothered at the building excitement Ryohei had.

“You do extremely well in my boxing club!!” Ryohei yelled a moment later. Everybody jerked in surprise from the yell but Reborn as he seemed to contemplate what Ryohei proposed.

“Maybe.” Reborn agreed. “He’s too weak as is; can you fix that?”

“Definitely!! He will make an extremely good boxer!!” Ryohei was yelling now. Kyoko was quick to tell him to be quiet and he seemed to deflate from that. Kyoko was really the only thing that could calm him down this drastically.

Tsuna reached over and tapped Reborn’s arm, getting his attention. “ _Please don’t make me take up boxing._ ” Tsuna signed.

Reborn snorted softly. He signed out, “ _We’ll see._ ”

 

* * *

 

**Updated: 01/31/17**


	9. Chapter 9

 

Tsuna got him from the hospital and his mood never seemed to pick up. Sure, it had always been hard to be happy but this was worse. He had a constant gnawing feeling in his gut that he wouldn't be good enough, he never had energy to even brush his teeth, he could barely even get up. 

Reborn wasn't sure if it was the medication Tsuna had to take for his asthma was the cause of the sudden dip. It was a side effect that it would irritate deppression, Reborn had just been hoping that it wasn't the case. 

But it was getting annoying after he knocked for the fifth time on Tsuna's door to get him to come out again. He had taken his pills, 8 surprisingly since he was older, and his puffs from his inhaler before immediately walked back into his room to curl into his bed again.

"Tsuna, come on, and get dressed. You missed too much school already with being in the hospital and recuperating. If I excused you, you'd fall even _further_ behind." Reborn said.

There was a shuffle from behind the door before it opened a crack. Reborn took it as a sign he could walk in.

When he pushed the door open, he stifled a heavy sigh. Tsuna was lying on his side, shuffling a little to get into his original position. The only thing that made Tsuna visible and _alive_ was the points of hair peeking out from the top, and Tsuna's hand sticking over the edge of the bed. He was rubbing the tips of his fingers together in a pattern that seemed to keep going.

Reborn walked forward, sitting on the edge of the bed beside Tsuna's head, and tried not to sigh again. It would make Tsuna feel worse. Reborn started running a hand through the hair that wasn't trapped under the blankets. He hesitated slightly as he wasn't sure how comfortable Tsuna was with him.

"You have to get up sometime, Tsuna. It's just going to be worse if you stay in your room." Reborn said as he continued to run his hand through Tsuna's hair.

Tsuna didn't answer. The only thing that he did that made Reborn he was listening was when Tsuna unabashedly rested his head onto Reborn's lap. Reborn didn't know what to do as he just stared at the back of Tsuna's head with his arms hesitated halfway to comfort him, and push him off onto the floor.

"Tsuna, what's wrong?" Reborn demanded.

Tsuna reached over to his bedside table where phone was. He typed something, raising his hand over his shoulder so Reborn could see it when he was done.

_'[My] depression [is] ac[ting] up, my medication [will make] depression [worse].'_

"Ah", Reborn said softly. "I was hoping it wouldn't affect you."

Tsuna shrugged burrowing underneath the blankets farther as he got himself comfortable. Reborn saw that Tsuna's other arm was underneath the blanket, looking to be holding something closely to his chest.

"What are you holding, Tsuna?" Reborn asked.

Tsuna seemed embarrassed as he moved so Reborn wasn't able to see the small sliver of his face anymore. Reborn reached forward and tugged the blanket away from Tsuna's body, moving it so he could see more of Tsuna's chest. Tsuna became even more embarrassed as there was a ratty piece of cloth curled around Tsuna's arm. 

"Is that a blanket You've had since you were a kid?" Reborn asked.

Tsuna made a face at him as he flicked the blankets back over him, hugging the blanket closer. He showed his phone to Reborn to read what he wrote.

"You got it from your mom?" Reborn said, looking down in amusement. When Tsuna nodded, he rolled his eyes. "Well, I'll be right back. I'll be getting Yamamoto since he can help you more than I can."

When he saw Tsuna give him a thumb up, he walked away to Tsuna's class. When he found the class, he walked in without knocking. He looked towards the teacher when she squawked in protest. Looking at her from the corner of his eye, he walked to Yamamoto's desk.

"Excuse me, _sir_ , what would you like?" The teacher interrupted before Reborn could talk to Yamamoto.

"Not you", Reborn snapped back. He turned to Yamamoto who was looking up at him curiously. He ignored the teacher as he motioned for Yamamoto to stand up, and follow him. "Come with me."

Yamamoto stood up, stepping towards the door when Reborn kept glaring at him impatiently. He walked, hearing Reborn behind him as he did, but hesitated when the teacher walked forward.

Reborn sighed irritably before turning to the teacher with a pleasant smirk that people seemed to like. "I need you to excuse Sawada Tsunayoshi and Yamamoto Takeshi from the rest of the day's classes. Please."

The teacher looked unimpressed as she crossed her arms. "Why should I if you've been nothing but rude to me?"

"Because my roommate is experiencing complications. I need to help him and Yamamoto will be able to help him more than I can." Reborn snapped, giving an annoyed frown to the teacher.

She huffed, almost snapping back when she decided better. The glare directed at her wasn't as flimsy as most students. He would actually _hurt_ her if she did something. She shivered before walking to her roll call list and excusing Tsuna and Yamamoto for the day.

"So, why was I just pulled out of class?" Yamamoto asked, swinging his good arm as he walked.

"Tsuna's depression is acting up from his medication. Since I'm not good with it, you're the next in line since you know how to relate to Tsuna. Hurry though; I don't want to leave him alone too long." Reborn answered, sounding bored and annoyed at the same time.

When they arrived in the dorm, Yamamoto walked to Tsuna's room, not forgetting to take his shoes off at the front out of manors, and stayed with Tsuna for the rest of the day. So Reborn had nothing to do except berate himself for snapping at the teacher. If Luce found out, he would be pulled back to the creepy therapist that always tried to hit on him. He was _sure_ that the old man was a closet pedophile.

Sighing, Reborn left the dorm to walk around. Luce told him that he would be excused all week to help Tsuna since he had told her about the recent behaviour of Tsuna's. He was bored though since he didn't have anything to do. He didn't want to leave the school since it was starting to get _hot_ now. It was the middle of May, almost June, and he was a little miffed that the sun chose then to make it so he couldn't walk around the town.

While he was walking around, making an annoyed face to whoever tried to tell him to go to class before explaining why he wasn't in class, he was run into by the same girl that he helped a few weeks ago.

She seemed anxious as she turned the corner, running and falling when Reborn was passing the corner. He braced himself on the wall so he wouldn't fall on top of the girl. God knows there were enough rumours out there, and sighed heavily. The girl, Chrome he was pretty sure her name was, frantically picked everything up that she dropped, gathering the papers in one pile and the books in the other.

Reborn bent down so he could pick up some of the papers, one being a time table to what classes she had with her name printed at the top, and tried handing them to her. Chrome seemed terrified that he was and ran as soon as everything was in her hands, her bag dangling uselessly by her side as she ran.

He had no idea why he even tried. He riffled through the papers, smirking when he saw the time table had her room number on it as well.

Well, looks like Tsuna's going to return her things with him later.

* * *

Tsuna was still asleep when Reborn walked back into the dorm; he had the papers tucked into his inner jacket pocket so Yamamoto had no idea what was going to happen when he was sent away. Tsuna had woken up a couple of times for a few minutes, and Yamamoto understood why Reborn was worried.

"Yes, I know it's almost the end of the day but you have to get Tsuna's and yours homework so you don't fall behind." Reborn said as he walked Yamamoto out of the dorm. "Come back at like 4:30 if you want but I need to speak to Tsuna alone. Don't worry about him."

Yamamoto gave Reborn an unimpressed stare but nodded anyways. "Alright, but don't be surprised if I sleep over."

"Please do, I can't stand being pulled to bed with him every night." Reborn grumbled.

"So you two _are_ dating?" Yamamoto asked, his eyes glinting in amusement.

"What, no we aren't. Stop asking stupid questions." Reborn shot down harshly.

Yamamoto pouted childishly. "That's not what half the school says. There's a rumour that you and Tsuna have been dating for a while. Ever since you came to the class to make Tsuna eat, people have been shipping you."

"Shipping? What does that even mean?"

"I'll tell you later, don't worry. Ask Tsuna if you really want to know, he's more experienced in that area."

When Reborn was about to protest, Yamamoto just waved over his shoulder as he closed the door. Reborn made an annoyed noise, making a face at the closed door.

He walked back to Tsuna's room, walking in quietly so he would wake Tsuna up. He still wasn't able to believe that Tsuna' was sleeping in a sweater and a long sleeve shirt with cotton pants. It completely didn't fit and it was hot inside here and outside. Tsuna's room was at the corner of the building so he got more sun than most people do in this room, which made it sweltering sometimes.

Walking to his dresser Reborn pulled out a lighter long sleeve shirt, all there really was for shirts were long sleeves, and pulled out some cargo shorts. He threw them at Tsuna, who almost fell out of bed in surprise, and walked to the door.

"We'll be leaving in a few minutes, you still have yet to eat anything today. Get dressed and come out when you're done getting dressed, and don't even think of putting a sweater over the shirt. It's hot enough as it is." Reborn said, closing the door and leaning against it. He heard some shuffling, a couple sounding like Tsuna almost fell, before the squeaking of the dresser drawer opening. Looks like his fashion sense didn't suit Tsuna.

Reborn smirked as he walked off, going to make Tsuna some tea like he had done a few weeks ago to help Tsuna's throat. He set the tea aside so it could seep and pulled out another cup so he could get some water for himself.

When he heard Tsuna walk up behind him, he just pointed to the tea beside him. "Put ice in it if you want. I decided to make it in an effort to help."

He didn't turn around until he went to get ice out of the top half of the fridge/freezer. When he turned around, Tsuna was walking by him to grab the tea, going for ice cubes as well. Reborn noticed how Tsuna's left arm was held a little stiffly than his right and held away from objects so it wouldn't be hit. Tsuna didn't seem to mind it but when Reborn grabbed Tsuna's left hand, he stiffened as if he was in pained by having his wrist moved.

Pulling back the sleeve, Reborn sighed heavily, resting a fist against his forehead. "Tsuna, you do know that hurting yourself won't solve anything?"

Tsuna was looking everywhere but Reborn as he nodded. He wrenched his arm back, rolling the sleeve down as he walked to the living room. Reborn rolled his eyes before snagging Tsuna back and pulling him into a hug.

"I'm not judging you pr anything, but doing that won't help at all. I'm here to help and listen. But of course, don't think that you can wake me up in the middle of the night every single night." Reborn said, rubbing a hand up and down Tsuna's spine.

He felt Tsuna nod against his chest, smaller arms wrapping around his waist. He was sure Tsuna was trying not to cry from the small heaves Tsuna made a couple of times.

After he was sure that Tsuna was fine, he pulled back, and handed Tsuna the tea lukewarm tea. "At least you won't burn yourself, Tsuna."

He gave a half hearted smile up at Reborn as he took the cup, taking a drink as he walked to the couch. When Reborn set a plate of meatballs and rice, he decided not to make any more trouble and eat as much as he could.

After an hour, they left to go where Reborn directed him. He dug his feet into the ground almost immediately when he realized that he was headed in the direction to the girl's dorm rooms.

He shook his head vehemently as he was pushed down the hall with his heels digging into the floor. Reborn was apparently laughing at his refusal to go, but he hid it behind a blank stare when Tsuna turned back to give him puppy eyes that worked on most people.

"Come on Tsuna, it's not like they're going to attack you. Most of them don't even know who you are." Reborn reasoned as he continued to push Tsuna down the hall. He wasn't even panting from exertion from how much Tsuna was trying to resist. Tsuna was either weak or Reborn was strong, it was probably both.

Lifting the phone enough so that Reborn could read it, Tsuna waited for the push to the ground or a laugh at what he said.

"No, the girls won't think that. Most have crushes on me anyway, so you're good if they see you with me." Reborn rolled his eyes. "No Tsuna, you will not be mauled because you're hanging around me."

Tsuna wasn't so sure as they neared the door to take them to the girl's dorms.

He scrunched his face up when he saw some of the girls stop to talk, some shooting curious glances between them when they realized Tsuna was being pushed down the hall, by Reborn no less.

When Bianchi passed, she immediately stopped Reborn so they could talk. "Oh my, Reborn, are you here to visit me in the girl's dorm?"

"No, I'm returning some things to somebody here. Do you mind helping me find her?" Reborn asked, making use of Bianchi's devotion to him in finding Chrome.

"Of course, I would love too." Bianchi said, clapping her hands together as her light grey eyes glinting in happiness. She leaned up to Reborn's ear and whispered, "Then later you can come to my dorm for some alone time with me. Haru can keep Tsuna busy."

Reborn looked down at her somewhat hopeful expression before smirking. "Sounds like a plan then."

Tsuna, who had heard everything, was standing to the side awkwardly. He had escaped Reborn's grip but didn't run because Reborn would find him and drag him back, hitting him a few times in the process probably. He shuffled his feet, looking at them so he could escape the obviously flirting Bianchi's glares. He heard a few murmurs around him, some catching his attention from how they were saying that they pitied him, how Reborn was such an outrageous choice for a boyfriend, etc. He was almost surprised that they were mistaken for a couple, _again._ He was gay but he had never even dated a guy.

He sighed quietly, not really sure how to handle this situation when somebody gently pulled a piece of hair hanging by his eyes. Tsuna looked up in annoyance, rolling his eyes when it was Reborn, and swatted the hand off of his hair.

"Bianchi had to help out a teacher so she directed us down the hall. The first door on the left of the bathrooms is where we're going. No complaining."

Tsuna gave him a pleading face, tugging on Reborn's arm towards their room. Reborn pried his arm out of Tsuna's grip before he wrapped an arm around Tsuna's shoulders. Now he wouldn't be able to escape.

Tsuna made a gestured with his hand that looked like flailing and a muscle spasm rolled into one. When he still wasn't let go, Tsuna gave up and rested his head onto Reborn's side. If he was going to play that game, Tsuna was going to play right back. He could practically hear the shippers screaming.

They made it to the room indicated, Tsuna finally being let go, and Reborn knocked. He walked away after forcing papers into Tsuna's hand, walking farther down the hall to where Bianchi was, chatting silently with her until Tsuna was done.

Who opened the door, Tsuna did not expect it. He was staring at his feet, pushing his toe against the line of the tile in front of him when the door opened. He looked up, and up to see a guy with a blue and red eye, smirking down at him. He huffed in his mind that he was really hoping puberty would kick in soon from how short he was.

The man smirk down at him, Tsuna had a bad feeling about that smirk, and leaned against the doorway. He bent down a little so he could meet Tsuna's brown eyes, smirking even more when Tsuna took a step back in surprise.

"And who might you be?" He asked, straightening as he crossed his arms, leaning his shoulder back against the door frame.

Tsuna searched his pockets, sticking a bit of his tongue out of the corner of his mouth in concentration. He pulled out his rescue inhaler, holding it so he could reach his phone at the bottom of his shorts pocket.

Finally finding his phone, he typed out his name, age, and asking who the man was, showing it to the man when he was done.

"Well, I'm Rokudo Mukuro. You're the one I've been hearing so much about…" Mukuro said, lifting Tsuna's chin up to get a better view. "And people don't think to tell me how cute you actually are in person."

"Tsuna's face flamed red when he heard Mukuro's uttered compliment. He backed away so that he was against the opposite wall, and away from Mukuro. He glared at Mukuro when he snorted in amusement.

 _'I came to return some things that Chrome Dokuro dropped when she fell.'_ Tsuna quickly typed out, showing it to Mukuro. He rubbed his left cheek to make it feel cooler and hide the blush.

"Oh? You're the one who bumped into my lovely Chrome?" Mukuro asked, stepping forward so he was in Tsuna's personal space again.

Tsuna shook his head, typing out, _'No, my roommate did and forced me to follow him to give the papers she left back.'_

"Ah, well please come in. Chrome's in the living room right now. I shall go talk to this roommate of yours." Mukuro said, resting his hands on Tsuna's hips.

Right as Tsuna's red face faded to a dull pink, it started back up again when Mukuro placed his hands on Tsuna's hips. He was _definitely_ not used to this kind of treatment.

When Tsuna was about to walk away, Tsuna was ready to scream. Mukuro just kissed his cheek, walking away to walk down the hall without looking back. Tsuna crouched, pushing his fingers into his hair. That was so embarrassing, nobody had done that to him before. He was going to have a heart attack from all of the surprises he was experiencing.

"Mukuro-nii just hit on you, didn't he?" A soft voice asked timidly.

Tsuna straightened up, pulling his hands out of his hair, and looked at the door where the voice came from. The only thing really remarkable about the girl that he could see was the purple eye and hair. When he stepped forward, reaching into his back pocket where he put the papers to look for his phone, the girl flinched back, instinctively reaching to close the door.

Tsuna handed her the papers before she could, rushing forward so the door didn't close. Tsuna held up his hands in so Chrome could see the only things in his hands were his phone, the papers, and his blue rescue inhaler. She seemed to calm down a little at that, opening the door more so the door wasn't crushing Tsuna's foot.

Putting his inhaler back into his pocket, Tsuna typed out a message to introduce himself and why he was there. He showed it to Chrome after he was done, seeing a light bulb go off in the eye he could see.

"Thank you then, I'm not very good at remembering my schedule for school." She said, the corner of her mouth tilting up hesitantly. "My name is Chrome Dokuro, who you just met was my brother. He tends to flirt with cute guys a lot, or so he tells me."

Tsuna smiled, looking a little awkward. _'That makes a lot more sense than he likes playing pranks on innocent people. But I'm terrible at remembering what I have too, Yamamoto is the only reason I'm able to find the right class.'_

Chrome gave a soft laugh, it sounded a little forced. "So why are you here in the school, Sawada-san?"

Tsuna wrinkled his nose at the honorific. _'Please call me Tsuna. But I have severe asthma, depression, and as a bonus, I can't talk.'_

"Mukuro-nii was forced to come here with me because my doctor said it would be better for my health. I don't see how though because he said it would help with my social anxiety but it hasn't." Chrome said quietly. It sounded like she was whispering on instinct, like she would get hit if she talked too loudly.

Tsuna found that odd, cocking his head to the side a little. _'Do you mind if I come back tomorrow so we can talk then? You look like you need a friend other than your brother.'_

Chrome gasped softly when she saw what Tsuna had just said, not expecting to be offered to have somebody actually talk to her. She hesitated as he had no idea if he should say yes or not before nodding.

Tsuna smiled happily before waving. Chrome waved back, still hiding half way behind the door frame as she did. She closed the door and smiled happily. This was the first time since coming to the school that she was able to talk to somebody for more than a minute.

* * *

 

**Edited: 02/01/17**


	10. Chapter 10

Exams were finally nearing and that meant everybody had to kick it into high gear. People were stressed over everything. But it was mainly the people in advanced courses that had to do exams. Tsuna was in no advanced courses though so he got to sit back and watch everybody else trudge through definitions and formulas.

He thought he'd have a free week since when exams were going on, you didn't have to go into classes. Nope. Reborn had a completely different thought as he sat Tsuna down at the table.

"Do these work sheets. Ask if you need help." Reborn had said. He immediately started doing his own questions, leaving no room for Tsuna to escape.

"I don't need to." Tsuna grumbled.

"Yes you do. I've seen your marks. They're worse than Skull's makeup."

"He's nice at least." Tsuna tried to say but Reborn ignored him.

Tsuna scowled but tried to struggle through the questions. He didn't even get the first question. The first one was always the easiest though. How could he not get it?

"Just put in what y equals." Reborn told him.

Tsuna squinted over in confusion. Reborn sighed. He shifted forward and pointed to the two equations on the page.

"You're doing solutions. There are two equations and all you do to solve them is find x and y. Y equals 2x + 5 so put it into the other equation."

Reborn watched Tsuna do it, clearing his throat when he did a wrong step. Finally, after five painstaking minutes, Tsuna got what x and y were.

"Good, now do the other twenty questions." Reborn said sternly.

"Twenty?!" Tsuna asked in alarm. "I can't do twenty!"

"Yes, you can and you will. Or you won't like what'll happen."

"W-What would happen?"

Reborn looked over, deadfaced, at Tsuna. "I'd put mayonnaise in your cereal when you weren't looking instead of milk. Maybe I'd put it on your morning toast."

Tsuna resisted the urge to gag. "That's gross! But now I know to look out for it."

"For now."

Tsuna shivered and hunched back over his worksheet. It would be better to just do it than have to watch over his shoulder for Reborn to prank him. Reborn liked to do it too much and it was the only downfall to rooming with Reborn. That and the fact people always asked him to take pictures of Reborn sleeping. That was a weird request he got alarmingly often.

Reborn glanced over in indignation at Tsuna. "Stop thinking about me."

"How the heck did you know that!"

"I can read minds."

"You're lying. Stop lying, Reborn."

"I'm not lying. You just don't want to believe. The truth is out there."

Tsuna rolled his eyes. "Sure. You just want me to play along with you."

"It wouldn't be playing if it was the truth."

"Sure…"

Tsuna focused back onto doing his question and finished. Reborn looked them over and, as Tsuna expected, there were only three that were right. The rest he had to redo.

"Do a pushup for every question you get wrong." Reborn said. Tsuna looked over in astonishment. "I'm not kidding or joking. Do 18 pushups."

"I-I can't even do one pushup. How do you expect me to do _eighteen_?"

"I don't. Now get going or I'll double them." Reborn thought for a minute. "I'm also timing you. Get them done in three minutes and you can take a break."

"What happens if I take longer?"

"You get to do more worksheets with no break."

Tsuna groaned in protest. "Reborn, you can't expect me to honestly-"

"You already said that. Now get going or I _will_ put mayonnaise into your food when you're not looking."

Tsuna scrunched up his nose in disgust. He finally dropped down onto the ground but before he could do anything, Reborn stopped him.

"Your form is wrong. Straighten your back, make sure your hands are _underneath_ your shoulders, not beside them. And breathe in when you go down, breathe out when you go up."

The entire time Reborn was helping him, he was pushing Tsuna into the correct position with his foot. He crouched down near Tsuna's head when he was done with his lecture. He looked at Tsuna expectantly, waiting for him to start the pushups. Tsuna started one and immediately started to collapse. If it wasn't for Reborn's hand underneath him, Tsuna would have fallen on his face.

"Why do I have to do this? Nobody else does pushups when they get a question wrong." Tsuna grumbled. Reborn seemed amused and let go of Tsuna's chest.

"If you think you can do it, I'll bump your time down so you only have two minutes to do it now. And go!"

Tsuna scrambled to start. His legs kept slipping and everytime he felt his hands push out farther. But he got it done.

"Wow, you got them done in two minutes and three seconds. You don't get a break." Reborn said. He hoisted Tsuna up by the shirt who was stuttering angrily.

"I finished them! It was two seconds. Why can't you just give me a break!" Tsuna spluttered.

Reborn seemed to think about it before shrugging. "You can do it. Come on, I have to hand this sheet in tomorrow so get going on your questions. Not like you have anything else to do."

Tsuna couldn't argue with that. There was a new student in his class today that effectively made him want to stay inside forever from how scary he was. So when Takeshi asked to hang out, Tsuna found himself making up a random doctor's appointment.

Reborn tapped the page Tsuna had in front of him. "Stop daydreaming."

Tsuna nodded. He started to work on his questions. For once he was actually dedicated to doing it. That was the most surprising thing he's had happen, next to him actually doing pushups.

He looked back up towards Reborn almost half an hour later. He got stuck on a question and had looked to Reborn for help. But Reborn seemed...not quite there. He was staring off into space, fiddling with the pen in his hand. Tsuna reached over tentatively to touch Reborn's arm but had his wrist grabbed in warning. Reborn stared at him, a small speck of caution flickering in Reborn's eyes before it was clamped down.

Reborn let go of Tsuna's wrist, wiping his hand on his pants. He said, "I'm fine, Tsuna. Don't worry about me," and grumbled something in Italian.

Tsuna wanted to ask but had to go to the bathroom. He never really got the chance to ask what was going on since he forgot by the time Tsuna went back out and he was forced to do sit ups this time.

Finally, after hours of doing homework, Reborn let Tsuna stop for the night.

Tsuna was all for just going to bed now but Reborn seemed to have different plans.

"You haven't eaten yet." Reborn said. "You're not skipping meals."

Tsuna whined, "But I'm not hungry."

"We both know that's a lie." Reborn paused and heard Tsuna's stomach growl as if to prove his point. "Go get something."

Tsuna seemed to mock Reborn under his breath as he walked into the kitchen. Reborn raised an eyebrow and followed. He acted like he was starting to make coffee, which he was going to anyway, and looked over suspiciously at Tsuna.

"Do you want me to make you something?" Reborn asked.

Tsuna looked up owlishly with a hint of fear. "No, you don't have to. I-I can make something for myself. I've done it before."

"The most you can make is slightly burnt toast, Tsuna."

"Bite me..." Tsuna said in embarrassment.

"Don't tempt me", Reborn shot back. He poured some of the coffee into a cup and absently put sugar in it. Tsuna watched in fascination as Reborn took a drink and immediately spit it out in the sink beside him. He handed Tsuna the cup, standing up to rinse the one beside him out. "Here, I put too much sugar in it by accident. Enjoy."

"Don't like coffee..." Tsuna said, frowning in annoyance as he stared at the cup in his hand.

"Whatever, I hate sugary things. Merry Christmas."

Tsuna crumpled his face in disgust as he held the cup of coffee. He looked over to where Reborn was flicking things on on the stove desperately.

"I can feel you staring at me, Tsuna." Reborn commented.

Tsuna's face tinted in embarrassment as he looked away.

"While I have you here, Bianchi's brother is in your class. Make him feel welcome so he isn't following me around inbetween classes." Reborn said. His back was turned so Tsuna could only guess at his expression.

"Is he the one that has-",

"Silver hair. That's him. Bianchi loves talk about him."

The two stood in silence. Reborn had resorted to making some type of pasta. Tsuna guessed that was his default, Italian food. He was about to ask when Reborn handed Tsuna a plate full of noodles slathered in white sauce.,

"Eat this before you fall over. Understand? And I want no complaints."

 _'Yes mother'_ , Tsuna signed awkwardly. He only had one hand to sign with but Reborn got the message. He glared warningly before walking off to his room.

"Study your math," He called. "I'm having a shower and when I get out here again, I better see your stuff out and that bowl almost empty _at least._ "

* * *

Gokudera Hayato was not a happy person lately. How could he be? His dad sent him to this backwash town he had never heard of before. In a country he had never been to before. Yeah, his mother was from the town next to this one but that wasn't going to make him feel better. He loved his mother, so when she died it devastated him. Being in a town that was even near her old home was a little too close for him.

Then there was the fact Bianchi was going to be there. She had heard all the stories she had to tell over the phone so he didn't expect to be able to stand hearing them in person. He loved his sister, well half sister, but there were limits.

Bianchi always crossed his limits though and made it hard not to get at least annoyed at her. Then she just had to go before him to meet him at the school he would be staying in. Stress wasn't his strong suit; really, being able to deal with it meant destroying a tree or smoking. And this was beyond stressful. Seeing his sister in person always made him sick, without fail. He wasn't sure how much he would be able to take when they were stuck in a car together.

He honestly wasn't sure why he agreed to this.

The only good thing to come out of the trip was that it was clear skies so he was able to stick his head out the window the entire time. Bianchi was none the wiser as she was just happy to be spending time with her baby brother.

Then there came the first day of school for him. Talk about stress. He was chain smoking at least three cigarettes every hour. In class it was harder to control himself but he managed. A kid next to him kept eyeing him, like he was going to jump up and accuse Hayato of something any minute.

It was strange. The kid was probably an alien if he had no problem staring so long. Only aliens starred without any qualms as to what the person was comfortable with.

Sighing and grumbling quietly to himself, Gokudera ambled out of the class. It was stuffy in there with the kid staring at him. He had the most piercing brown eyes. They were hidden almost completely behind a book but when he looked over, the kid was almost glaring.

Hayato could take him. He'd fought worse people before.

The day was over and he was supposed to meet his roommate at their shared dorm. For some reason he wasn't in the class with the other roommates. He was ready to march down to the office and ask why but Bianchi had explained why. He didn't like the reason but he accepted it.

His dorm was cold. That was all he thought as he walked in because it felt like somebody constantly blasted air conditioning. But it was just all the windows were left open. Hayato angrily stomped around and slammed all of them closed.

He heard the door open as he was closing the last window and he stomped out to meet whoever it was.

And of course it was the weirdo kid that was staring at him. Hayato narrowed his eyes and cautiously moved around Him. He plucked the kid's arm off of his side and glared suspiciously at the skin. It felt human. But you could never be too careful with aliens. They were crafty.

"You must be my new roommate!" The kid said. He was chipper, almost way too chipper. "My names Yamamoto Takeshi, pleased to meet you."

'This kid oozed confidence and happiness,' Hayato thought. He rubbed his chin and stepped out from behind Yamamoto.

"My name is Gokudera Hayato. Don't use my first name, don't be loud, and most importantly: don't make me regret staying."

Yamamoto's face seemed to fall slightly but it was replaced quickly by a thumbs up.

"I'll try my best!" Yamamoto said. Hayato looked him over critically once more before stepping into the kitchen to get some toast. He was hungry since he forgot his lunch this morning. Or rather he trashed it the minute Bianchi was out of view. She was a terrible cook.

Yamamoto followed and started playing twenty questions. Hayato didn't know he could hate somebody so fast out of pure annoyance. Yamamoto stopped his brigade of questions when his phone rang.

"Oh! Let me answer this!" Yamamoto said cheerily. He stepped away so Hayato was able to make his toast in peace.

Gokudera looked up in surprise when he heard Tsuna's surname. "His last name's Sawada?"

"Yeah! Why do you ask?"

"I know his brother. Tell him that his brother's going to be coming to visit him in a couple weeks when he's done touring Europe."

"He has a brother? How cool! What's his name?"

"His names Ieyasu, but he goes by Giotto. Now stop talking to me! We both have homework we need to do!" Hayato said hotly.

The door clattered open noisily, drawing both Yamamoto and Hayato's attention to focus on the doorway in curiosity. A minute later Ryohei came running into the kitchen. Without any warning, he let out a gutteral yell.

"What the hell!" Hayato protested.

"Hello!" Ryohei greeted. "I think it's extremely cool we have another roommate! What are you!"

Hayato looked at Yamamoto in confusion before looking back at Ryohei and answering with, "I'm a human. What are you?"

"I'm human too!" Ryohei answered. He was shaking almost as he stood still. He started running in place, throwing punches to the air.

"Hello there, Sasagawa!" Yamamoto said happily. Ryohei registered Yamamoto was there finally and threw his bandaged wrapped hands up in excitement.

"You're here. Good! I need a sparring partner. Do you want to join the boxing club so we can spar together?"

Yamamoto laughed good naturedly and shook his head. "No thank you. I like baseball better. Is there a baseball club?"

"Not yet! But I'm working on a boxing club right now. Maybe we can both get clubs!"

"Maybe." Yamamoto said, smiling excitedly.

"We have homework, come on." Hayato insisted impatiently.

Yamamoto gave a small 'oh' as he nodded. "Sasagawa, we have to do work. Why don't you help us? SInce you are the upperclassman."

Hayato nudged Yamamoto sharply in the side. He didn't flinched and just smiled easily down and Hayato. He seemed to wink, almost asking Hayato to trust him.

Ryohei let out another scream. "That'd be extreme! What do you need help with!"

Hayato sucked in a breath to answer but it was Yamamoto's turn to elbow him. "We could use help in math. Do you know how to help us?"

"I do not!"

"I knew it, he's an idiot." Hayato exclaimed. He got out his work and started doing it. Yamamoto frowned.

"That's not very nice, Gokudera. You shouldn't say that about people who aren't smart in one subject."

"No! He's right!" Ryohei yelled, interrupting Hayato's rebuttal. "My grades are bad! But I'm going to be a boxer. Grades don't matter!"

Hayato slumped against the table. He wasn't sure how long he was going to last in this dorm is he was stuck with two idiots.

The next morning was better at least. Everybody was out the door easily and in class. Yamamoto insisted on sitting near Hayato today and happily introduced him to Tsuna.

Tsuna had entered breathless and dishevelled, trying to straighten out his uniform. He had made quick the entrance as he was being carried by Reborn, who looked annoyed to be having to do this. Tsuna kicked his feet to be let down but Reborn just tightened his grip. There were sighs of envy near the back.

"Now if I see you try to escape back to your room again, I will drag you back by your ankles. Got it?" Reborn said. He dumped Tsuna unceremoniously onto the ground and stood over him in the doorway.

Tsuna grumbled quietly as he picked his bag up from the floor. He had signed something too fast for anybody to decipher. He was hit with the flat of Reborn's knuckle on his head for whatever reason. Yamamoto was certain Tsuna had accidentally said something sarcastic; Tsuna never meant to be sarcastic but some things came out that way. Reborn waved good bye and closed the door behind him.

Whispers broke out as Tsuna walked to his seat to place his backpack down on his desk. That was when he noticed Yamamoto waving over at him near the back of the class. He walked over to Yamamoto's desk, leaning against it as the two talked. Tsuna smiled politely at Hayato, who glared back.

Soon the teacher came in and started class.

"Class, today we'll be getting a new student! Treat him like you treat others; kindly and with respect." The teacher chirped, motioning to Gokudera near the back. Her smile tightened from how his feet were put onto the desk like he owned it but she looked away easily as she started class.

Hayato's scowl was a constant throughout the entire day. And Tsuna sighed lightly, placing his head onto his arms as he listened to the teacher start their Japanese lesson.

'It must be tiring being so bitter', Tsuna thought.

Sometime in the middle of the lesson, somebody knocked on the door. The teacher paused in the middle of her explanation of Japanese grammar and looked suspiciously around. A lot of the kids like to rap in the desk to stop her teaching. But she seemed to catch somebody in the widow in the door. She smiled brightly as she realized who was there.

"Class, we have a presentation today by two of the headmasters children, Skull and Fon. Please come in you two." She motioned for the two people standing outside to come in. Immediately, you could tell who the friendly one was. He was the one smiling lightly and bowed politely to the teacher and class. The other walked in with a slouch, his loud purple jumpsuit making him seem out of place next to the calm red traditional Chinese garb the other wore.

"Hello, everyone", Chinese garb said. Tsuna was unnerved how much he looked like Hibari Kyoya, resident demon at Namimori middle school. "My name is Fon, the one next to me is Skull. We're here to help out with the mood that's been going around lately."

Tsuna furrowed his eyebrows at that. 'What mood', he thought curiously. He raised his head from his desk and balanced it on his palm. They looked familiar but he couldn't place them.

He knew that Fon looked like Hibari, but Skull looked completely different. There was nothing similar about Skull's pierced lip and chin and purple themed eye makeup lipstick combo. He heard a few snickers from some of his guy classmates from how Skull was wearing makeup. Skull heard them and glared at them, not at all amused that he was being laughed at by people younger than him.

A student near the back raised their hand, making Fon call on them.

"Um, what do you mean the mood going around the school?" She said fearfully.

"Everybody's had a stick shoved up their-"

"Everybody's seems to be upset about one thing or another." Fon cut in quickly. He casted a sharp look over to Skull who shrugged. "We would like to help alleviate some of that by having a group therapy session. Now were going to have to get you guys to work with us and cooperate as we're only trying to help."

The teacher was quick to jump in. "Everybody, help clear the desks. You too, Sawada. I don't care how much your wrists hurt."

Tsuna made a face but tried to help. Takeshi waved him off though and made him sit down. The teacher glanced over disapprovingly but decided to leave it.

Fon and Skull were helping people move chairs into place while everybody else moved the desks. Tsuna awkwardly sat on the sides with a couple of the physically disabled students. They say in awkward silence as they weren't friends and one couldn't talk very well from weak muscles. Fon pulled Tsuna away to help with the chairs though.

"What's wrong with your wrists?" Fon asked. Tsuna felt like he was pulled into helping just so Fon could ask this away from everybody else.

"My joints hurt." Tsuna said. He wasn't sure what else to mention as that's all there was to it. He definitely wasn't going to roll up his sleeves either. He got his sleeves a size larger for a reason.

Fon gave a polite smile and moved on.

Tsuna sat down next to Yamamoto when everything was settled. But it wasnt settled for long as Skull got everybody up and started pointing them to spots near people that seemed unlikely friends. Tsuna got stuck between two girls he had chatted with about homework. They were nice enough. He only remembered one was named something like Rin. Yamamoto was sat next to Gokudera and a girl Tsuna didn't know. She might have been new. There were new students coming in every week so it was hard to keep track of who's who. Yamamoto was talking easily with both of them though, keeping a steady conversation. Tsuna was curious if Yamamoto was doing that fake smile he had told Tsuna about. He doubted it from how happy Yamamoto looked.

Fon clapped his hands together in a signal for silence. Everybody quieted easily but the teacher felt the need to shush them. A few student rolled their eyes to the ceiling.

"Okay, now hold hands with the person next to you." Fon said. He was obviously the more sensitive one out of the two as he was more of a gentle speaker.

There was a lot of grumbling as people, mainly guys, felt it was gay to do it. They weren't wrong because gay people do hold hands, but its still something offensive. And before anybody else could, Skull marched over there and kicked one of the kids being vocal about this in the shins.

"Hey!" He said angrily. "I don't want to hear about how offensive to your sexuality this is! Hold hands for fucks sake and shut up." Skull kicked the legs of the chairs, making the kid jerk, before walking off.

Everybody seemed to obey after that. Nobody wanted to he yelled at. The teacher was already sour over how Skull cursed. If she was pushed farther, there would be hell to pay. Everybody fell in and finally held hands though. Tsuna didn't mind it and appreciated the efforts the girls next to him did to make it feel less awkward.

"Okay, thank you Skull for that great speech." Fon said. "Now were going to go around and say something we don't like in our life. It could be anything. Something you want to get off your chest."

Skull started by saying, "I hate how Reborn treats me like a lackey."

Tsuna felt his eyes widen in surprise. This was the first time he heard about that. It didn't surprise him as Reborn sounded like a person that would do that.

Fon went next. "I dislike how I cannot get Mandarin Fish without it being a delicacy."

Fon turned to the person on his right, smiling encouragingly at them to keep going. The chain went around when it came to Tsuna. He was saved by how none of the people in the room knew Japanese sign language. The teacher had offered to call Reborn down to translate but Skull was quick to throw that idea out the window. So they moved on from Tsuna and went until the last person said somethin they were upset about.

"Alright. So now that we've said something upsetting. Lets think about the opposite. What's something that you're very happy about. It could be you got a good grade or that you made it to school this morning. Tell us one thing that made you happy."

And so everybody went around again. Tsuna really didn't understand why they had to hold hands if they were just sharing something. He didnt want to ask though in case they forced him to participate.

But he accidentally did say something. Somebody asked what time it was and he answered with the time. Skull picked up on him talking and pointed it out.

"Sawada," the teacher said warningly. "You have to participate with everybody else. Please say what upsets you and what makes you happy."

Tsuna felt his neck and ears burn as blood rushed to them as he panicked. He didn't want to. He would start crying in front of everybody if he said something that upset him. He couldnt remember what made him happy. He was useless anyways. There wasnt much he was even good at. Petting cats maybe but he wasnt even sure he could go near them anymore.

Fon jumped in. "Why not show us your arms and point to a spot that has a story. You don't have to share. Just let us know there's a story to be told."

It was a simple enough request. Tsuna definitely could have done it. The only problem was he had old self-harm scars along with terrible burn scars. The burn ones were the ones everybody noticed before they saw smaller lines zig-zagging a crossed the rest of his arm. They were old so they weren't very noticeable but some didnt grow over right. So he would rather not. He wasnt even sure he could move his wrist enough to even roll up a sleeve.

He let go of the girls' hands and carefully pushed his left sleeve up. As always, his arm was littered with different marks. He point to the most obvious one though, the one where he got a skin graft on his wrist. Nobody said a word as this was the first time any of them had seen it. Tsuna hated showing people his arms. And all were in some sort if awe. Everybody knew he was the one to pull people out of the fire but nobody knew details. Tsuna refused to give any and all three people in the room were as good as unconscious when he was dragging them.

Fon seemed satisfied and was ready to move on until somebody blurted out, "What the hell, Tsuna. What happened to your arms?"

Skull and Fon started to jump in again, disrupting what was most likely going to be a bad conversation but Tsuna was up and moving out of the door. He didnt stop walking and actually ran down the hall to get away from the class. He finally stopped walking when he was alone in the bathroom near his own room. Tsuna let out a shaky breath. He rubbed his hand over his face and felt his breath hitch on a sob. He slid down the door he was leaning against and rested his forehead against his knee.

His scars were not something he liked about himself. He had stopped self harming when he was put into this school. It was a new start for himself and he didn't want to bring that with him. Of course nobody knew about it unless you knew what those kind of scars looked like. He had a feeling Reborn knew from when Tsuna had to change his shirt in front of Reborn before so there wasn't much he didn't see.

This was going to be so messy because half of the people in this school used to go to school with him. Tsuna knew that a quarter of those people were nasty human beings. They always had an excuse to pick on him. It wasnt something that bothered Tsuna as he'd heard and been called worse but now they were the worst here. None of his old bullies were in this school so they were it. And if word spread fast about his arms then they'd pop up like annoying weeds wherever he went.

Footsteps down the hall had Tsuna scrambling into a stall and out of his spiraling mind. The door opened and Tsuna pressed himself against the toilet he was sitting on.

There was awkward silence as Tsuna tried to stay silent and the person situated themselves in their own stall. It wasn't silent for long as sounds of retching came from the other stall.

He placed his feet down and debated going to help. But they obviously wanted to be alone from how they had checked twice if anybody was in the bathroom. Tsuna decided he could at least unlock his cell and check if they were okay. The stall door was slightly ajar too so there wasn't any excuse for him not to help.

The person didn't even hear him when he opened the stall. He gingerly stepped in and crouched down next to them. He awkwardly patted their back, making them jerk in surprise.

They struggled upright and glared at Tsuna with such an intensity, Tsuna felt like if looks could kill, he'd be on the ground. But he recognized her. He vaguely remembered her name being Haru and she was the one that wanted to humiliate him with Bianchi.

Haru cleared tear tracks from her cheeks and sniffed. She teared some toilet paper off and wiped her mouth. She look over at him and said, "You didn't see a thing, Sawada Tsunayoshi."

He shook his head. "Not what I meant by coming in."

"What?" she asked.

"No harm. I mean no harm." Tsuna clarified. "Um, can I ask why you're?" He gestured vaguely towards the toilet.

"What the hell," she said. "I have nothing to lose. My mom isn't very good at sticking around from her job, making me feel like she didn't like me. My dad was buy a lot but made sure that he conveyed that he loved me. He wasn't there a lot too though so I was alone a lot in the evening. So when people started bullying me for being a little bit chubbier than everyone else, which was just because I was always inside trying to finish my homework and study so I didn't fall behind, it really made me feel like an outcast. So when I was watching an English talk show, I'm pretty sure her name was Ellen, the host, her wife was talking about having bulimia so it got me thinking, 'why not'?"

Tsuna didn't like where this was going, muttering a small scratchy, "No."

"Yep. I've been bulimic since I was 9. Nobody noticed and I would have gotten away with it longer if you didn't hecking hide." Haru grumpily stuck her tongue out at Tsuna. "In a way, thank you for hiding. I don't like being...like this."

Tsuna felt his lips twitch and smiled. "It's a new school. Why not a new start for yourself?"

Haru seemed taken aback by that but slowly nodded. "Maybe. I-I'll try."

He was about to answer when his phone buzzed loudly against the tiles. He had placed it next to him on the floor absently as he sat down. He picked it up, seeing that it was a text from Reborn who was asking where he was.

"I have to go…" Tsuna muttered. "People are looking for me."

"Well aren't you popular. Leave then."

"S-Sorry."

"Wait, give me your number. I'll put it in my phone." Haru said. She caught Tsuna's hand and let go quickly, awkwardly looking through her pockets for her phone.

Tsuna was oblivious to her awkwardness and just handed her his phone. "You put in your number and ill put in mine on yours."

They exchanged numbers and went their separate ways. Tsuna's phone vibrated as he was making his way to his dorm. He saw on the preview that Haru had messaged him saying, " _Thank you_ ".

* * *

"Where have you been?" Reborn asked the minute Tsuna walked through the door. Reborn didn't sound concerned, there was no emotion to his voice, but there was a slight edge to it.

Tsuna smiled sheepishly. "I met somebody in a bathroom."

"That's gross, Tsuna." Reborn saidy.

Tsuna felt heat rise to his face and he rubbed his nose. "That's not what-Reborn! Don't be stupid."

Somebody snickered in the living room that made Tsuna look over in alarm towards the chair opposite him. Fon sat there, trying to hide his smile behind his sleeve and faking a coughing fit to hide his laughter.

"Don't even start with me on who's stupid, Dame-Tsuna." Reborn shot back.

"Touché."

"I didn't even know you knew what that means." Reborn snapped his book closed. "You shouldn't be talking so well either. It's been five weeks since you started your speech therapy."

"I, um, well you see." Tsuna said brokenly. Reborn wasn't hearing it though.

"You're going to wreck your throat even more. Speak in moderation."

"But I had to keep talking or else-"

Reborn gave a sharp look that made Tsuna stop protesting. "I don't care. There's no reason for you to sacrifice your voice again. Go change out of your uniform. It needs to be washed."

"You're like my dad." Tsuna grumbled. He did what he was told though and change into casual clothes. They were more or less his pyjamas but nobody needed to know that.

When he walked back out, Reborn seemed to be arguing with Fon almost in Mandarin Chinese. Tsuna almost took a step back in shock as he'd only heard Reborn speak Japanese. They stopped when Reborn saw Tsuna move.

"I thought you didn't like short sleeves." Reborn asked.

"I-I don't." Tsuna said. "I thought it'd be a nice change."

Reborn shrugged. It seemed like the end of the conversation and Tsuna was about to leave when Fon called out, "Sawada, please stay a minute so I can talk to you."

"Why?" Tsuna asked, freezing.

"Because I would like to apologize." Fon said easily.

"For what?"

"For making you upset today. I was sure that you wouldn't leave, I was certain it would happen at some point, but Reborn has told me about how thick skinned you were. So for making you upset, I apologize deeply." Fon explained, placing his right hand on his opposite shoulder as he bowed his head.

Tsuna smiled awkwardly. He bowed back slightly. "It's fine. I-I just don't like to talk about my scars"

Fon smiled knowingly. "I understand. We'll be coming around once every two weeks to do the same thing with the classes, sometimes it'll be other room mates like Skull and I, but it's just so that everybody can be more open with their classmates." As almost an afterthought, Fon added, "A lot of people sympathized with you."

Tsuna opened his mouth to say something but nothing came out. He thought most people would just move on and make fun of him. "What did they say?"

"Not much. They mentioned how sorry they were. The person that spoke, they never meant any harm. They feel bad. Please keep an open mind next school day. Most people are here for their own reasons but they might also connect with you." Fon stood, prompting Tsuna to do the same. Reborn didn't budge and kept reading. "I will be taking my leave, now. Please take care of yourself, Sawada."

"Tsuna. Call me Tsuna."

  
"Alright", Fon bowed again. He swept out gracefully. Tsuna sat back down stiffly.

"Anything you want to talk about?" Reborn asked.

"No, I-I'm fine."

"Don't lie, Tsuna."

"I'm...Not."

And for once that was finally true.


	11. Chapter 11

Yamamoto and Gokudera were waiting for Tsuna to answer the door. Somehow, Yamamoto was able to drag Gokudera with him to hang out with Tsuna. Since it was the end of class most people like to leave as go into town. The curfew was eight on Fridays thankfully so there was a lot of time for them.

"Oh come on, don't be like that. Like I said, Tsuna's nice." Yamamoto protested. Gokudera was looking angry at having to come. "And he recently lost his mother too, maybe you two can bond or something." Yamamoto said.

Gokudera bristled. "Fuck off."

Yamamoto smile back. He wasn't bothered by how harsh Gokudera was.

The door opened finally opened. Reborn looked at them briefly, his hands behind his back.

"Tsuna?" Reborn asked.

"Yep!" Yamamoto said cheerfully. "We promised him that we would go out tonight. Oh, this is Gokudera Hayato, he's my new roommate."

Yamamoto kept his grin as he stepped in.

Gokudera mumbled, "I can introduce myself, idiot"

Reborn raised an eyebrow but looked over at Gokudera. "Your sister's here."

"What the hell! Give me some warning next time. I'm not ready to-"

"Don't care. I'll go get Tsuna." Reborn started to walk off but seemed to remember something, making him turn around to face the two. "Don't smoke around Tsuna.."

"The school made me quit." Gokudera said gruffly.

"A lot of students here have asthma." Reborn said almost as an afterthought. "Be careful what you get into. It's a small town."

Reborn left. They could hear him talking to Tsuna. "Dumb and Dumber are here for you," Reborn said.

"Who?" Tsuna asked.

"Just go look. I'm tired. Don't ask me to bail you out if you're out passed curfew.

"I thought ms. Bianchi was with you. So you're just going to sleep with her?"

"Choose your words better. She can leave whenever she wants. She's good at cuddling though."

Tsuna felt slightly weirded out hearing that last part. He wasn't sure if he was ready to delve that far into Reborn's personal life.

He was saved by Reborn walking to his room. Tsuna wandered out and saw Yamamoto and Gokudera both standing in the doorway. Yamamoto must have said something because Gokudera looked ready to kill him.

"Hey," Tsuna said.

"Hey!" Yamamoto repeated. "Are you ready to go out?"

"What? You were serious about that? We aren't allowed to go out guys." Tsuna said anxiously.

"Yeah we are. Everybody does it on Fridays. Come on we'll go to an arcade! And when were done we can watch a movie!"Yamamoto smiled so excitedly Tsuna felt like he couldn't say no.

"Alright let me get a jacket in case it gets cold. Reborn might lock the door to so I might have to take a key." Almost as if realizing something, Tsuna hide his arms behind his back quickly. He almost ran down the hall to get a sweater and hastily put it on. The two were still waiting for him and left when he put his shoes on.

"So where are we going first?" Tsuna asked as they stepped out of the school.

"Well I was thinking we could go get something to eat first since I'm hungry." Yamamoto said.

"When are you not hungry." Gokudera grumbled.

"When I'm sleeping!" Yamamoto exclaimed. "Nobody's ever hungry when they're asleep."

"Actually you just don't feel it because your brain doesn't focus on it in your sleep." Gokudera reasoned.

"I don't get it." Yamamoto said. "If the brain is doing your dreams and making everything bam, how does it know its hungry?"

"It doesn't. That's what I said. It doesn't focus on the stomach's messages saying it needs food because its regulating your breathing and heartbeat."

"Is it your brain is too busy going bam that the gurgle of you tummy when sleeping?"

"What the fuck did you just say?"

Yamamoto didn't answer as he realized Tsuna wasn't walking with them.

"Tsuna!" He called. "What's up?"

"Mukuro is texting me." Tsuna said when he caught up with them.

"Ohh. What's he saying?" Yamamoto asked.

"He's asking where I am. I just told him we were going to an arcade and to watch a movie."

"Invite him to the movie! You've been gushing about him for weeks now. Let us meet him."

"It hasn't been weeks."

Yamamoto looked at Gokudera in exasperation. "Mukuro is a roommate in a higher grade. He's been talking to Tsuna for a while. The last couple weeks he's stepped up the charm on Tsuna."

"I know. I was there the last two weeks." Gokudera growled.

"Oh, you were? That's right! You were! I forgot because its been exam week and you went to a better place."

"I didn't die, idiot! I went to a more advanced class. Why they put me into a dumbass class, I won't know."

"Yeah, you're a student that easily gets 100s." Tsuna said. "You're obviously smarter than us."

Gokudera shrugged, trying not to look too mean. "I-I wouldn't say I'm smarter. I'm just good at b-books."

"Guys, that's the arcade up there! Let's go!" Yamamoto said. He pulled Gokudera with him as he jogged up to the doors.

"What the hell! You said we were getting something to eat first." Gokudera protested.

"This is more fun. Right, Tsuna?"

"Right", Tsuna said. He smiled encouragingly. He had to answer Mukuro before he followed. Mukuro seemed a little on edge about him going out though. Tsuna brushed it off and said they would talk later. They could even get Mukuro and watch the movie with him.

He walked into the building and saw Gokudera and Yamamoto already furiously playing a boxing game. Gokudera was the only one doing it angrily though. Yamamoto seemed to be having the time of his life. As Tsuna walked up he heard Yamamoto say, "Half of the school's betting on when they'll get together."

"Betting when who'll get together?" Tsuna asked.

Gokudera jumped, making Yamamoto get the last punch in. "Oh what the hell!" Gokudera exclaimed. "This game is rigged. The math was so easy; how could I not win!"

Yamamoto shrugged and turned to face Tsuna. "What do you wanna play, Tsuna?"

Soon all three of them were playing games and having a great time. Gokudera even smiled. Tsuna was happy that they were able to hang out together. He didn't get out much as he always never had a friend to go out with.

This school really was a new start.

The three made their way out of the arcade at six; two hours after they had entered. Tsuna had been given a cheap set of hair clips as a joke and Yamamoto and Gokudera both got a matching pair of themed star wars sunglasses. It's like a flip had switched and Gokudera was animatedly telling them about theories he had about the Star Wars universe.

"-so that's why I think Jar Jar Binks is a Sith Lord." Gokudera said. He has given them a whole lecture on it and Tsuna felt like his brain melted from the terms. He had never seen Star Wars in his life but he wasn't about to say that after Gokudera got so excited.

"So, what happened to Binks then. Did he just disappear in the prequels?" Tsuna asked.

"I don't know. I haven't watched the prequels for a while. I don't like them." Gokudera said.

"Why not?" Yamamoto asked.

"I find the writing and execution is poor at best and the CGI is really over the top. Some people do like them but I'm not one of them. I find it doesn't really tell the story as well as they could have."

"Huh, I haven't watched the prequels so I don't know how bad they are." Tsuna said. Gokudera shrugged.

"Where are we eating? I'm hungry." Gokudera announced.

"We could go to my dad's sushi place." Yamamoto offered.

"You guys have the best sushi." Tsuna said.

"Then let's get Gokudera some! He's never had it, right?"

"No I've never had your stupid sushi."

"Then let's go!" Yamamoto exclaimed as he dragged Gokudera off. Gokudera was kicking and spitting with curses flying every second word as he was dragged through the streets. Tsuna found this was a perfect time to leave them and take a shortcut.

The only reason he knew the shortcut was there was because he put a piece of bright orange tape onto the concrete wall. It was a good way to remember. Most people just thought it was random graffiti on the walls as a lot if gangs liked to spray paint along it. But it was just a reminder to Tsuna that he need to take this road for his shortcut.

He was even surprised he found it in the first place. He was just running from people. They were the nastier people in his old school. They thought chasing him was fun. They never actually hurt him when they caught him; and they caught him a lot. They just high fived each other, maybe kicked him in the ribs a couple of times. But nothing more than that. It was perplexing.

In his shortcut route, he could still hear Gokudera cussing up a storm. He was glad he took this route. At least then he wouldn't have people looking at him weird.

But he also met up with his old bullies.

Out if all the days in the year, it was this day that he met with them. The one day he was having fun and he met up with the only people in the world he'd rather never see again. And if course they noticed him too.

"Hey! There's idiot-Tsuna!" One called. He never cared to learn their names really. They were just dubbed with bullies number one, two, three, four, and five. This time there were one, three, and five in the group. Two and four were gone. Tsuna really couldn't miss them. Especially when they used his annoyingly demeaning nickname.

"Hello", Tsuna muttered. He gave a polite smile and tried to walk past quickly.

"Oh no you don't!" Number three called. He grabbed Tsuna's wrist and pulled him back. "I gotta say, you're looking right happy today."

"Well, I-I am with friends." Tsuna said. He tried to squirm away from them but number three's grip tightened.

"What are these?!" Number five exclaimed. He pushed back Tsuna's sleeve and made a show about looking over Tsuna's arm. "Man, I never knew you had such a chaotic life there, dame-Tsuna. Why so many cuts?"

"They're n-none of your business." Tsuna said. All three whistled. Like they were impressed.

"Wow, dame-Tsuna grew up. Now he can talk back." Number one said.

"I say if he likes to cut up his arms, why not let him keep going." Number three suggested.

"No! No stop it!" Tsuna cried. He struggled harder and almost got away from number three. But five came up and grabbed him around the waist, pushing him to the ground.

This was a deserted back street so nobody would hear him screaming sadly. Tsuna was resigned to whatever they were going to do because he was weak. But suddenly the pressure on his back was gone and people were screaming.

Tsuna had no idea what was happening but rolled over to the wall anyways. That way people wouldn't step on him. It was a good idea too because there were loud noises of things hitting the ground, like somebody had released an entire pack of tic tacs onto the ground.

He looked up carefully and saw Mukuro holding a slumped over number five. The other two were groaning on the ground, just starting to be able to move.

"Don't you dare catch let me catch you near him again." Mukuro growled. Number five whimpered and nodded. "Get out of here."

The three scrambled off. Tsuna could only think, "I've never been more attracted to somebody then right now."

"Hello, Tsunayoshi." Mukuro said.

"Hey." Tsuna responded. "I didn't know you were in these parts. I thought you were with Chrome."

"She asked if we could get something to eat so I promised to go get something for the both of us. I like to take this shortcut as its faster to the convenience store on the other side of town. They have the best chocolate."

"I never took you as a chocolate eater."

"Yes, you don't know a lot of things about me. So, who were these people?" Mukuro looked down and Tsuna couldn't help but be embarrassingly lost in his red and blue eyes.

"Um well," Tsuna let out a small cough, feeling his face heat up a little. ""T-They were some of my friends from my old school."

Mukuro raised an eyebrow and sat next to Tsuna. He stretched his leg out lazily, tilting his head against his shoulder to look at Tsuna. "Not very good friends if they're tossing you around." Mukuro tucked a piece of hair behind Tsuna's ear. "Are you alright? You were screaming quite loudly."

Tsuna rubbed his throat absently as if he just noticed how tender his throat had felt. "I didn't notice. Guess speech therapy's working." He gave a half-hearted smile and a laugh; Mukuro humoured him.

"What happened?" Mukuro asked suddenly. He pointed to the joint on Tsuna's wrist. His sleeve was still pushed up a little. He hurriedly pushed his sleeve down while muttering, "I-I don't want to talk about it."

"You can tell me. I won't poke fun. Unless you don't think I'm good enough."

"N-No you are. It's just-well they're from a skin graft. I think that's what it's called. I-I can't really ever remember the name of it. I'm guessing you know about the fire that happened in Namimori Middle School? That destroyed the insides of half the building?"

"I can't recall I have. What happened?"

"...Nevermind." Tsuna said. He didn't feel like getting into and felt like he would probably cry if he tried. "I don't think I can talk about it. I-I'm sorry I can't. It was nice seeing you." Tsuna got up, dusting off his pants. "Thank you for helping me. Are you going to my dorm later for movie night?"

Mukuro shrugged lazily. "I'm not sure. Chrome might want to stay in tonight. Of course, she's obviously invited?"

"Of course! If she wants to come, she can. But are you?"

Mukuro got up as well. He was graceful and fluid and made Tsuna feel awkward with watching. He turned his eyes to where there was an abandoned sales hut. The window was boarded up with graffiti scrawled over it. Mukuro touched Tsuna's chin, making him look over in shock.

"I'll think about it." Mukuro almost purred. He leaned in close but a shrill ringing caught them both off guard. Tsuna stepped away and patted his pockets, trying to find his phone to see if it was his.

Tsuna expected it was probably Yamamoto calling, asking where he was. But it was...His brother.

"What?" Tsuna breathed.

"Who is it?" Mukuro asked. He stepped closer and peered at the name. There were two; Giotto but in brackets there was Ieyasu.

"I-It's my brother. I didn't think he had my phone number. I didn't even think he _wanted_ to talk to me. Just a second."

Tsuna answered the phone shakily. "Hello?" He greeted.

"Hello, did I get the right number?" This was definitely his brother.

"Who are you looking for?" Tsuna really didn't want to believe that he was the reason his brother went out of his way to call him and figure out his number.

"Well, are you looking for Sawada Tsunayoshi?"

"Yes! Is this who I'm talking to?"

"Um, yeah. This is him. Uh, Tsuna. How did you get my number? I thought you were still in Rus-Russer. I can't say it."

Giotto laughed. " _Russia_. I left last week. I decided to fly home for a few weeks. It's been a while and I wanted to catch up with my favourite family member. Your voice changed."

"I thought dad was your favourite because he's the only one that let you eat candy. And yeah, I just recently got my voice back."

"Well, him too. He doesn't talk as much. He's the reason I got your number though. Somebody called the house and left a message, telling him your number. He wouldn't say what it was about. But I'm at the airport right now. I have about an hour to kill before I have to check in."

"So you really are coming back?" Tsuna felt his pulse quicken slightly. Giotto hadn't been home for almost a full nine months.

"Yes. Don't tell dad I'm coming back. He gets weird about it if he knows after I...told him."

"He didn't take it very well. You met somebody that helped right?"

"Yes, most of my friends are coming back with me anyways. You'll get to meet all but two."

"Why two?"

"One of them is taking exams this week, the other doesn't like to be in a bigger group of people. So the rest shall come but they might branch off and meet with family since some are from Japan as well."

"And you met them just walking through Europe?"

"I went through western Asian countries too, Tsuna. They were all on their own and seemed to enjoy talking to me. I'm glad it went well at least because I have better friends than before." There was distant voices in the background and Giotto paused to listen. "I have to go now, dear brother. They're boarding early. I'll call you when I can."

Tsuna hung up after Giotto did. His face was way too hot and his hands started shaking in his excitement. Mukuro looked at him curiously but Tsuna wasn't sure if he could even talk through his excitement and the fact his throat felt almost raw.

"Should you tell your friends that you can't make it?" Mukuro asked bemusedly.

"Maybe." Tsuna said. He pulled out his phone and told them anyways. He got an instant response from Yamamoto full of exclamation points and emojis. Tsuna snickered from how excitable he was and put his phone away.

They walked back to the school silently. Mukuro carefully slipped his hand into Tsuna's as they walked. Tsuna really wasn't sure how he felt about it but let it anyways. They arrived at the school in time for Yamamoto and Gokudera to jog up to the doors.

"Hey, Tsuna!" Yamamoto called. He waved and caught the door from Mukuro. "Sorry we lost you back there. I'm sure you had your own fun!"

He seemed to side-eye Mukuro and gave a subtle thumbs up as he passed Tsuna. He tried not to blush and scream like he wanted to but Yamamoto was making it hard not to.

"Who the fuck is this?" Gokudera asked, pointing to Mukuro.

"Mukuro Rokudo; pleasure." Mukuro answered. He bowed his head slightly and seemed to smirk at Gokudera.

"I met him last month. He's been busy with finals so there hasn't been a time where I could introduce you guys. Sorry." Tsuna fidgeted with his sleeve. "He's coming to watch the movie with us."

Yamamoto grinned, throwing an arm around both Gokudera and Mukuro. The two stiffened in sync. Gokudera was the only one to react and elbowed Yamamoto in the stomach.

"Get off me, asshole." Gokudera growled. Yamamoto made a placating gesture and stepped back. "Don't touch me. But how the hell did you meet?"

"Oh, well, Reborn gave me a bunch of papers to take to his room. His roommate dropped them and ran off before she could pick them up. And Mukuro was the one to answer the door." Tsuna scratched at his neck but Gokudera seemed satisfied.

"Whatever. Let's go."

"Alright, we better go pick out something to watch before Reborn gets out there. He'll most likely kick us out too." Tsuna said. He ushered all of them up the stairs hurriedly, trying to get out of the main foyer.

They all piled into Tsuna's dorm and onto the couch. Reborn seemed nowhere in sight but it smelled like food had been cooked so Bianchi must have helped him cook something while they were gone. Tsuna wouldn't be surprised if Reborn did it all himself.

It was easy to decide which movie they watched because nobody cared what it was. As long as it was something. Tsuna couldn't remember a single detail as to what happened either because they ended up talking the entire time. Mukuro was probably the only one watching the movie.

In the middle of it, Tsuna felt his phone vibrate. He had gotten an email he got from Reborn. It said, " _If your friends and you don't quiet down in the next three minutes, I can't promise this will end well. Come to my room when they're quiet._ "

Tsuna didn't want to know what Reborn was going to do. So he quickly shushed everybody. "Reborn's trying to sleep I think. He just emailed me telling us to be quieter."

"What is he, a soccer mom?" Mukuro asked. Tsuna was concerned for Mukuro's well being after that comment.

"I'll be right back. Just keep watching the movie without me." Tsuna said. He stepped around the couch carefully, trying not to trip over all the legs. Everybody was taller than him and he hated it.

Reborn's room was at the very end of the hall and every single step felt like Tsuna's last. When you woke Reborn uo, you prayed a collective prayer to every deity you knew. The floor creaked every step he took and he winced every time. Reborn was terrifying when he was cranky; he was also cranky about ninety percent of the time. Unless he was just like that naturally.

Tsuna honestly didn't know. All he knew right now was that he didn't want to go into Reborn's room when he was just woken up. There was a high possibility he would have something done to him.

And he was absolutely right. Reborn had put saran/plastic wrap across the door frame where Tsuna's face would hit when he walked in. Tsuna had to resist the urge to scream as he stumbled back. He was able to catch himself on the wall but it was close.

"Come on in." Reborn called, like he hadn't been the cause for Tsuna's face being caught in plastic wrap.

"Reborn! Why the heck did you do that!" Tsuna said accusingly.

"You guys were being loud. One of you had to be punished." Reborn said. He was laying down underneath the blanket but Tsuna swore Reborn was smiling.

"Is that all you called me in here for?"

"No, you're going to get me candy for waking me up."

"It's passed curfew, Reborn. I can't leave the dorm, let alone the school."

"You're so boring, Tsuna. You honestly think people follow that rule? Do you honestly think I don't have ways to leave the dorm and building undetected?"

"Well, I'm clumsy. I'll trip over everything and make people have to come out and see what's happening. Get somebody else to do it." Tsuna started to walk away but he felt something cold hit against his neck.

"I'm not done talking to you, Tsuna. Get back here." Reborn said icily.

"What did you just-did you just throw snow at me? It's the middle of the fall. Where did you get _snow_?" Tsuna screeched. Reborn motioned for him to calm down.

"I have my ways. Now go get me candy. And make sure its sour too. Take Mukuro with you or something. Just be back before ten because that's when security guards make their rounds."

"I never said-"

"I'll do one essay for you if you do this by the way. Take it or leave it. Of course, you're the one that woke me up in the first place so I don't know why I'm offering you anything."

"Deal. Can it be for any subject?"

"Yes, any subject. As long as you're back before midnight, have my candy, and haven't been caught. Now go." Reborn rolled over so he was facing the wall. Tsuna presumed he had fallen asleep again but he could never be sure.

Tsuna tried his hardest to be stealthy about leaving too. He didn't expect that it would work because he was the clumsiest person he knew. But Mukuro noticed. Gokudera and Yamamoto were engrossed in the film they had been watching now that they finally settled. They seemed to have started it over. Mukuro didn't care for watching it though as he saw Tsuna try and inch by.

"Where are you going?" Mukuro asked softly. Tsuna would have screamed if it wasn't for Mukuro's patient hand over his mouth. "Please, you'll alert the other two."

Tsuna nodded slowly and wiggled his mouth free. "I'm going to the convenience store. Reborn wants candy so I'm getting it for him. Want to come with?"

"Sure", Mukuro breathed. "Is there any reason for me to stay without you around?"

Tsuna tried to ignore that comment and focused on getting his shoes in the dark. By the time he had crept out of the dorm with Mukuro, it was already quarter to nine. Reborn honestly thought it would take him an hour to get candy?

Mukuro seemed perplexed at the timing though. "I never thought it was as late as it was." He commented.

"Yeah, I hear some people say, 'time flies when you're having fun.'"

"I can tell you it certainly does." Mukuro slipped an arm around Tsuna's waist. "Tell me, what store are we going to? We've made it out of the building, but what now?"

"Well, there's one on the corne

r. Maybe. I could be reading the sign wrong. There's also another one the opposite. It's farther away but there's more in it."

"Let's go to the bigger one then. Reborn would appreciate the choice."

Tsuna shrugged. He was fine with anything. As long as it meant he was able to be back before midnight like Cinderella.

Mukuro wasn't bothered to take his arm away either as they walked. It was almost cold so they could get away with it. It was almost welcome as the wind was cold and Tsuna's sweater wasn't the thickest against wind. Mukuro didn't mind either as he felt Tsuna press closer to his side.

"How was your day, Tsunayoshi?" Mukuro asked. He was taking a stab at idle conversation. Tsuna really didn't expect Mukuro to ask how his day was though.

"It was fine. I got to have a day out with my friends. I got some hair clips as a final prize from the two."

"Where are they?"

"In my pocket. I wore this sweater. Why?" Tsuna looked up in curiosity.

"I'll put them in your hair for you." Mukuro said simply. He stepped back, giving Tsuna room to root through his pockets. "Your bangs are in your face anyways."

Tsuna shrugged, pulling out the clips. They were simple and in the yellowed street light they glowed almost blue from the metallic paint. There was a design of a flower at the end of it and Mukuro let out a small, almost eerie chuckle at it.

"How cute, Tsunayoshi." He said. He took the clips from Tsuna and carefully put the in Tsuna's hair. There wasn't much of a difference but Tsuna's hair was out of his face at least. Mukuro trailed a careful hand down the side of Tsuna's face.

Tsuna coughed and turned his face downwards, stepping back half a step. "We should get going." Tsuna said a little too highly. He coughed again and hoped his voice dropped. "We can't have Reborn waiting long. I'll be the one paying for it."

"Well, we could let him. He never said we had to hurry." Mukuro said. He gave a sultry smile that made Tsuna a little uneasy.

"Well, let's at least get everything first. We're almost there!"

Tsuna almost ran ahead in his haste. He was so nervous. He felt like Mukuro was going to kiss him. He couldn't have that. He didn't know how he felt about Mukuro yet. And even if he did, why would anybody want to date him? There was no reason to it and Tsuna wasn't sure how to react.

In the store, they found what the needed easily. There was all kinds of sour candy. The one that stood out were these gummies coated in sugar to make them sour. It was as good as anything they could get. They got a couple different kinds because Reborn never specified.

Tsuna started shivering as the water from the snow started dripping down his neck. He had almost completely forgot about the snow slowly melting down his shirt.

"Mukuro," He said. "Can you help me out? There's water going down my back. Can you wipe it off? I-I can't reach it."

Mukuro seemed almost amused at the request. "I can." Mukuro leaned closer so nobody could hear him. "Step into an isle so nobody can watch us."

Tsuna did just that as he let Mukuro pull the sweater away from his back. Mukuro let out a small sound of surprise before anything though.

"What is it?" Tsuna asked. Was there some sort of mark on his skin?

"There's a bill here. It's in a plastic bag so it's not wet or anything.

"Reborn gave me money by throwing snow at me?" Tsuna asked hysterically.

"Must be."

Tsuna was still baffled when they left the store. He was carrying the bag they had in his arms, the change in his pocket, and the confusion in his mind. This was the most ridiculous thing Reborn had ever done with him. There was probably worse from when he was younger.

Mukuro let Tsuna blunder through baffled sentences as they walked back. He obviously wasn't very interested in the conversation but Tsuna didn't pay attention to that. He finally stuttered to a stop on his own as he realized they would have to make it back inside.

"If we left through a back door, how are we going to get back in?" Tsuna asked.

"I scale the building." Mukuro suggested.

"What, no. You'd fall off."

"Oh no, I've done it plenty of times before. It's perfectly safe. There are footholds people put on their window sills for you. Quite a few people do it to see their friends or partners after hours."

"You aren't getting hurt for this. We can take the same route as last time. We'll just walk faster back into our dorm. So no building climbing-!" Tsuna was cut off by Mukuro tackling him behind a bush conveniently placed behind them. Tsuna breathed harshly as he started to ask what happened but Mukuro put a hand against Tsuna's mouth.

"Somebody;s coming." Mukuro muttered in Tsuna's ear. "Act natural."

But the minute he said to act natural, Tsuna felt an overwhelming sense of fear collide into his chest. They were going to get caught. It was dark out but the person probably had a flashlight. And the bush was barely covered with leaves anymore so if there was a flashlight then it'd easily go through the leaves and they'd be caught.

Mukuro seemed calm about it though and just casually straddled Tsuna's thighs like it was a comfortable, old leather chair. Tsuna had no idea where to put his hands so he awkwardly let them drop onto his stomach. This was so weird. He wasn't used to this level of intimacy.

"Tell me a story." Mukuro said, distracting Tsuna. "Tell me about your brother. What made him go to Europe?"

Tsuna sighed out. He hesitantly let his hands rest on Mukuro's knees. "Well, he got hurt at school a couple years ago. Somebody pushed him out of a two story window by accident. He won't tell us if it was an accident or in purpose. He broke three of his ribs; his lung was punctured; he had a broken arm; a fractured leg; and a concussion. The doctor put him on heavy pain medication so he wouldn't be able to feel much, other than being numb.

"But when he was healed and out of therapy, he was more angry. He just stuck in his room most of the time. Mom" Tsuna paused, feeling his throat close up. He cleared it a little bit but he talked even quieter than before. "...My mom tried to get him to eat but he just wouldn't come out long enough to talk to us. He stuck to his room or he was out till morning.

"But he had a drug problem. He got hooked on the pain medicine and that led to others. He decided that backpacking through Europe might help himself. His best friend was going with him so he'd be able to work through going off it completely as his best friend held no patience for drug use."

"So this entire time he's been walking through Europe?" Mukuro asked. He seemed almost in awe.

"No, he came back for m-my mom's funeral. I wasn't out of my sleep so I didn't see him. He visited me a couple of times too but he left to go to Germany after a couple days. He told me a little later that he wasn't able to stay long. He also is going through western Asia. But he's coming back today. I don't know why."

Tsuna held back a cough. He brought his sleeves up to his face to muffle it. He wasn't sure if the somebody Mukuro heard had walked off yet or had sat to listen to Tsuna's story. Mukuro didn't seemed bothered though as he shifted slightly against Tsuna.

"So, why don't you talk about your brother, Tsuna?" Mukuro asked after a beat of silence.

"There isn't much to talk about. There's four years between us so there wasn't much we had in common. We got along but we never actually became friendly." Tsuna shrugged. "I'm glad he's doing alright. His best friend isn't the one to budge once he's made up his mind."

Mukuro smiled, seeming to lean closer slightly. "It's good he has somebody. Do you have somebody like that?"

"Well, I-I have Reborn. That's the closest thing I've had to a friend all my life. D-Do you?"

"I would like to think so. But do you mind if I tell you something?" Tsuna shook his head. "Well, I would like to take you on a date and have you be another somebody for me. Is that alright with you?"

"Y-Yeah", Tsuna said breathlessly. "Yeah, we could do that. But do you mean as in dating or just...friends?"

"I mean as in dating, Tsunayoshi. Why else would I ask."

Tsuna felt dumb having asked now but he brushed it off. "I don't know why else. I've just...never had anybody ask me out before"

Mukuro laughed and Tsuna felt his breath ghost over his neck. "Don't worry. I'll be a lot of firsts for you. Can we start with one first right now?"

"What do you mean?"

"Can we get our first kiss out of the way? That way it isn't as awkward. And we'll be even closer."

Tsuna didn't trust himself to talk so he just nodded. Mukuro took it as he took Tsuna's face in his hands and gently slid their lips together.

It was wet and awkward but Tsuna loved every second of it. He was able to finally know what love was. It was the excited jitters he got from this. How much he wanted to be even closer. How he felt like nothing could go wrong. Because let's face it, this was probably the happiest Tsuna could feel right now as Mukuro slowly guided him through the kiss.

They broke briefly and Tsuna felt his entire body go red. He didn't think he could meet Mukuro's eye if it went on. And in a way he wouldn't have to as Mukuro was kissing Tsuna's neck gently, making Tsuna snicker as it tickled.

Tsuna's phone going off distracted them though. He scrambled to get it out of his pocket and Mukuro pulled back, looking curiously and somewhat annoyed at Tsuna.

It was Reborn emailing him. " _I can see you two from my window and I know you have my candy so walk around the hedge until you find a small balcony and jump onto it. It's an vacant room so the door is unlocked and there's no set alarm. It's 10:05, too. Bet's off._ " Reborn said.

Tsuna let out a small groan. Mukuro was looking curiously at him so Tsuna explained what was happening. They followed Reborn's instructions and found out that there was a lock on the balcony doors.

"Give me one of your hair clips, Tsunayoshi." Mukuro said. Tsuna did and watched as Mukuro unlocked the door for them.

They both carefully stepped through the room. It was empty with the basic, open floor plan of every dorm but there was a somewhat eerie feeling of walking through it. Like somebody was watching them. Tsuna tried to shake it off, putting it to only his imagination. Mukuro certainly didn't say anything.

That might have been because the security guy was coming down the hall too. So Mukuro pushed Tsuna back into the dorm, down the hall of the empty dorm, and into a supply closet that was at the end of it. Tsuna felt cramped, being pushed up against Mukuro like this. It wasn't a bad feeling it was just embarrassing as he had no idea where his hands went or where he looked so he wasn't staring.

Mukuro wasn't bothered though as he let his hands ghost over Tsuna's body; down his back, up his arms, across his hips, back down to his knee where they stopped and braced against the back of Tsuna's knee. Tsuna looked down at the hands on his knees, rubbing the side of his neck.

There wasn't much for them to do either. The security was coming into the room, the keys jingling as they unlocked the door. Every night the security people checked empty rooms to make sure nobody was hiding in them. It was a known fact it happened every five hours. It was just the fact of figuring out the schedule and not getting caught. Tsuna felt like they were going to get caught though, the one time he went out passed curfew.

But, almost like some higher power had heard his fears, there was a loud clang outside of the dorm. The footsteps that were rapidly approaching the door stilled before they receded.

There was a sharp call from the man as he ran, "Hey! You kids. Get back here!"

Mukuro and Tsuna looked at each other in confusion before Tsuna's phone buzzed. Reborn was emailing him again. " _Run._ " Was all he said.

So that's what they did. And in record time, they made it back into the dorm before 10:20, when the roommates check in that everybody in the dorm was there.

Gokudera and Yamamoto were gone. Reborn probably told them to leave before the check in, Tsuna thought. Mukuro was probably going to have to stay the night or escape by scaling the building. That didn't bother him now. He was just curious where Reborn was.

"It's about time you came back." Reborn said. He was walking down the hall. "I was beginning to think I would have to call mom and tell her you were gone from your rooms."

"At least we actually got you the candy." Tsuna said. He held the bag out and Reborn walked forward to get it.

"Keep the change." Reborn said as he walked off. "And go to bed. It's later than when you usually go to bed."

Mukuro started walking forward. "So I guess I'm staying, aren't I?"

"Yeah, I guess so." Tsuna said breathlessly. He gave a smile, taking the lead to his room.

The next morning, Tsuna woke up to somebody knocking on the door. Mukuro wasn't beside him and he felt a twinge of sadness about it. But he didn't let it bother him as he struggled up, staggering out to see if he needed to get the door.

Reborn had it though. He looked like he had been up for hours already.

"Who is it?" Tsuna asked through a yawn. He rubbed his throat as it started hurting. Reborn looked back at him, his eyes almost showing anger.

"Somebody for you." Reborn said. He quickly regained his composure and let the person step in.

And, like he half expected, Giotto stepped in. It was still a shock for most people to see the two as they could be twins. The only differences were that Giotto had blond hair and amber eyes. Tsuna had brown eyes and hair. That was the only differences in their appearance though. Everybody would always why they weren't in the same year and never seemed to believe them when they said that Giotto was four years older than Tsuna was.

It was still a shock to see the amber eyes too. Tsuna grew up seeing them but after a year of his brother being gone, you almost forget about it.

Tsuna couldn't help the giddy smile he felt coming on. Giotto had a similar one. Reborn just looked bored as he left.

"Long time no see, Tsunayoshi." Giotto said. "Do you mind if I sit?"

"N-No, no not at all. Do you want anything to drink or eat? I have to get dressed so I need to-" Tsuna made a vague gesture behind him.

"Go. I'll keep. G should be coming up soon. Somebody stopped him in the lobby; he told me to go ahead."

Tsuna nodded, giving another week smile before he scampered off down the hall. He quickly threw on some jeans and a random t-shirt on his floor. He found socks underneath his bed and quickly brushed through his hair. He brushed his teeth and grabbed his sweater off the ground and he was ready.

Reborn met him outside his room, asking, "That's the brother?"

"Yeah, he is. Use Giotto. He doesn't like his old name." Tsuna answered.

"He doesn't know when to stop talking." Reborn said bitterly.

"What did he say?"

"Called me a girl like it was an insult. He's lucky I'm not angry today."

"You mean you're not angry all the time?"

"Like you would ever know." Reborn walked down the hall to his room. "If you need me, I'll be in my room. If not, don't worry about it."

Tsuna wasn't sure what the last part meant but it was too late to question it as Reborn had already closed the door. He shook it off and went to meet Giotto in the living room.

Giotto was patiently waiting, sat in a dining room chair. He looked up when Tsuna came down the hall and smiled. Tsuna gave a hesitant one back and sat across from Giotto.

"How are you, Tsunayoshi?" Giotto asked.

Tsuna shrugged. "I'm fine. I almost got caught past curfew last night so I'm a little tired. You?"

Giotto mirrored Tsuna shrug. "I'm waiting to hear back from a couple of my friends."

"I don't know who your friends are." Tsuna muttered. He sounded almost ashamed. It was a little maddening as Giotto was the reason he knew nothing about his brother because he cut contact with everybody.

Giotto smiled as he looked over. " While I was backpacking through Europe with G, we met up with Knuckles and everyone else along the way. There's Lampo, who had exams; Asari, who went to visit family in Tokyo; Knuckles is the one who agreed to check us in somewhere; G most likely got caught up in a chemistry lab; and Alaude didn't come since he'd rather stay in France close to his mother."

"Knuckles is the priest right?" Tsuna asked.

"Yes. Him being a priest is a reason he ended up following me around Europe. He helped me when I was about to have a relapse." Giotto shrugged. "I told him to go back to his church but he said this was much more exciting for him."

"So he's here because you're religious now?"

"No, he just wanted to follow me. We're friends as well." Giotto paused, looking around. "Anything fascinating like a love interest in your life?"

Tsuna looked away from Giotto, rubbing at his jaw, before nodding.

"What?" Giotto interrupted. "You're like 14. You don't need a boyfriend. You need to do your homework."

"I'm almost 16, Giotto."

"You're older than I thought, Tsuna." Giotto said in surprise.

"I'm a lot of things you once thought." Tsuna said under his breath. At Giotto's confused expression Tsuna gave a smile. "Nothing, I was talking to myself."

"You wouldn't want to start doing that. When you start answering, make sure you call help."

Tsuna felt his smile become more forced. "I'll try my best."

Giotto seemed to think before getting up. "I better go see where G went off to. I'll meet back later so I can show you where she's buried. Dad never showed you where, did he?"

"I was bedridden for months. He never tried to interact with me much after I came home." Tsuna said bitterly. He tried to smile reassuringly though.

"Mm, well I'll show you. You can bring your roommate if you want; I know how bad you are at remembering things."

"He might not want to come but I'll ask anyways." Tsuna knew for a fact that Reborn wouldn't want to either. He never seemed interested in any aspect of Tsuna's life in all honesty.

Giotto nodded and almost ran out of the dorm. Tsuna tried his best to ignore that as he went to his own room. He most likely had plenty of time to kill before he would have to think of going with Giotto. It was best to sleep now while he could instead of wanting to sleep the entire time the two were together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> comments are always nice guys  
> i hope people actually reading this enjoy how im changing it because its certainly better than it was


	12. Chapter 12

Giotto ended up not showing up again. Tsuna had found out later Iemitsu found out he was in town and immediately requested the two go out for drinks. It was affronting to say the least as Tsuna sat waiting for Giotto to come back or at least email him for almost two hours.

"He’s not coming back." Reborn had said flatly once it hit the two hour mark. Tsuna didn’t want to admit he was right but it was time to accept it.

"I know", Tsuna mumbled. He rubbed at his temple in frustration. He was used to this as people had bailed on him too many times to count. He was Dame-Tsuna after all. But by his own brother? Giotto seemed dedicated to rebuilding their relationship.

"Do you want to watch a movie?" Reborn asked. It was so sudden it made Tsuna recoil in surprise.

"What?" Tsuna asked. He thought he heard wrong. Reborn usually just ignored him when it got closer to nine at night. The sudden turn around was fishy.

"A movie. Do you want to watch one?" Reborn sat beside Tsuna on the couch. "I was given one to watch by Bianchi."

"Uh, yeah. Sure. Does Bianchi usually give you movies to watch?" 

"Sometimes it"s porn, sometimes it’s a movie so bad it’s funny. She has varying taste and recommends the one she thinks I"ll like. I give her recipes she might like in return."

Tsuna choked a little bit at the first part. "I don"t need to hear about your habits, Reborn."

"Yet I still said them. It"s not something fun. Mainly it’s just amusing. The movie she gave me this time is a dub of an English made movie. It isn’t porn."

"I’d hope not!" Tsuna said bashfully. Most people never talked so openly about their life. Mainly it was dull things like what they had for supper he was privy to hearing. 

Reborn set everything up and put the movie in, in a matter of minutes. Tsuna had been directed to make popcorn. Tsuna had managed to not burn it so it was salvageable when it was done. That was his accomplishment of the day if he was being honest.

The two settled on the couch. Tsuna was by the wall so he could charge his phone and Reborn was on the other end. The movie wasn’t amazing but it was enjoyable in the sense of mind numbing action. Reborn looked indifferent the entire time as always but Tsuna was leaning forward, genuinely curious what would happen.

That"s why it startled him so much when his phone chimed. It was the sound for when he got an email and he fell away from his phone in shock. He landed sprawled across Reborn"s lap. He scrambled to get up but Reborn kept his face locked as he looked down at Tsuna.

“Who is it?” Reborn asked.

“Who"s..what?” Tsuna was trying to regain his thought. He was scared really easily still apparently.

“Your phone. Who emailed you?”

“Oh! Um," Tsuna picked up his phone and unlocked it again. "Mukuro. He emailed asking if I wanted to sleep over and have dinner.”

“Aren’t you two cute.” Reborn said sarcastically. It was hard to tell if it was sarcastic though because of how monotone his voice was. "Are you going to go?”

“...Am I allowed?”

Reborn looked over, raising an eyebrow. “I"m not your parent. Just make sure you know what you"re getting into. But if I smell smoke off of you when you come home only then I will become your parent." Reborn shrugged. "It’s your life to waste however you please."

“Oh" Tsuna muttered. He blinked but soon smiled lightly. It was good to know he could get away with sneaking out occasionally.

“So are you going?" Reborn asked again.

“I-I don't know. Chrome might want to sleep so I don't want to keep her up." Tsuna scratched his cheek thoughtfully. 

“I can help you sneak out. Nobody asks questions if they see me walking around."

“Wait, really?”

“Yes. Luce made sure that the security left me alone if they saw me walking around on the cameras. They have cameras in the halls just in case anybody breaks in or tries to leave after hours. The staff is constantly on us not to do anything illegal. There are ways around the cameras obviously. I just don't want to have you screaming as you try to sneak around.”

“What do you mean scream-” Tsuna started to ask but his phone chimed again with another email from Mukuro, asking if he was in.

“If you're going to go, answer him before the offer closes.” Reborn paused the movie with the remote. He looked inquisitively at Tsuna. “Don't pass up a chance to hang out with your boyfriend because you're scared of something that might not even happen.”

Tsuna breathed in and nodded. "Alright, yeah. I'm going. I'll be back sometime tomorrow then?"

"You can be back sometime next week. If you miss out on school it's your own fault when I tutor you in my style." Reborn got up and put the bowl of popcorn in the kitchen to wash later. "Tell me when you're leaving so I can call Luce. She leaves a message to the security guard not to follow me and tell me to get back inside."

Tsuna nodded, excitedly messaging Mukuro back. He felt a little rebellious and extremely nervous as he wasn't used to being the rebellious teenager. Reborn seemed indifferent as he was cleaning up their dishes. Tsuna had hastily packed a couple changes of clothing just in case and was ready to go in a surprisingly short amount of time. 

"U-Um, I'm ready to go." Tsuna muttered. He was playing with his sweater sleeve, picking at the worn down fabric. 

Reborn didn't say anything but picked up his phone from where it was on the counter. He quickly typed in a number, Luce's number, Tsuna assumed. Reborn held his finger to his lips, indicating for Tsuna to be quiet as the phone rang.

"...Hello," Reborn said. "Is Luce there? This is Reborn calling...Yes, if you could leave a note to security. Thank you. Yes, you too." Reborn hung up and his voice, which had recently had a cheery undertone, turned flat once again. "Okay, we can leave now."

"That was fast." Tsuna commented. "Who were you talking to?"

"The secretary.  Luce has to do paperwork and the secretary picked up. She knows why I need to walk around and has no problem excusing me. Let's go." Reborn said impatiently. He put an arm on Tsuna's shoulder and moved him forward.

Tsuna snorted softly and let him be lead. He knew where Mukuro's room was so it wouldn't be a hard walk. Reborn was just walking too fast down the hall when they actually did leave.

"Reborn, please." Tsuna had tried to say but Reborn's natural walking speed was too fast for Tsuna to even hold a candle to.

He had somehow managed to grab Reborn's hand. Only when Reborn halted and looked back in mild interest and curiosity did Tsuna realize what he just did. He dropped Reborn's hand immediately and started walking.

"What was that about?" Reborn asked. He put his hands into his pocket and leaned around Tsuna so the two were forced to look at each other.

"N-Nothing. Let's just forget about it." Tsuna muttered. He was trying to look down to avoid Reborn's eye but that wasn't exactly how Reborn rolled.

"Was I walking too fast? Were you mesmerized by my back? Did you want to know how soft my hands were?" Reborn was now walking backwards, taunting Tsuna.

"Please, Reborn." Tsuna began but he stopped when he had to hold back a screech. He had tripped over a chip in the tiling on the ground. Reborn caught him before he fell. It didn't help Tsuna's embarrassment that he was practically leaning all of his weight on Reborn.

There was a small throat clearing. The two looked behind Reborn and saw Mukuro standing in the doorway a little down the hall. He seemed to be keeping his face polite but Reborn couldn't help but narrow his eyes in suspicion.

"Hello there, Tsunayoshi. Reborn." Mukuro greeted. It was too smooth of a greeting for Reborn. "Might I ask what's happening here?"

Tsuna pushed away from Reborn, clumsily straightening up. His face was almost completely red as he answered. "I tripped." He laughed it off easily as he started walking forward. "What else is new?"

"Indeed." Mukuro purred. He stepped out and met Tsuna. He looked over at Reborn and smirked, seeming satisfied to say, "If I might, could I take Tsunayoshi away from you, Reborn?"

"Of course. Be careful with him." Reborn said evenly. He ruffled Tsuna's hair before continuing to walk down the hall. He was out so he might as well walk around. Nobody was going to stop him now.

Tsuna smiled sheepishly up at Mukuro. He seemed to smile cooly back. 

"Please, Tsunayoshi. Come on in. I ordered something for us. Chrome has already had some and is in her room studying. She won't be coming out for the rest of the night, of course. So it'll just be the two of us."

Tsuna smiled easily and let Mukuro lead him into the dorm. It was nice enough. There were slight things like socks near a corner or dishes in the sink that made it messy but Tsuna couldn't mind. Reborn was the only reason it was always so clean in the open entrance part of their dorm. He couldn't blame Mukuro for wanting to keep things slightly messy. 

There were food containers on the coffee table in front of the modest TV set up. There was a DVD/Blu-Ray player hooked up and a game console so it suited Tsuna just fine to be in this room. 

"Are we going to be watching anything while we eat?" Tsuna asked.

Mukuro shrugged, smiling simply. "Depends if you want to. I"ve never looked through any of the movies here."

"Then let’s look." Tsuna said. He grinned nervously, looking up at Mukuro to see if he was going to agree with it. When a slight nod came from Mukuro Tsuna felt his smile grow a little bit more genuine.

He sorted through the cases. Most of them were given by the school to promote healthy activities like in home exercise. Some were just children cartoons because there were people that liked to relive their childhood or found comfort in the light-hearted messages. Some were B grade horror movies that weren’t exactly horror. Just so bad it was funny. 

Finally, Tsuna settled on a two hour movie about ninjas. It was terribly animated and with a cheap premise but it would fill up the next to hours at least. Mukuro and him might even fall asleep before the movie even ended. It was close to ten at night. Most people went to bed at ten to eleven so the two were bound to nod off.

Tsuna popped the movie into the player. Mukuro seemed to be waiting patiently for Tsuna to be done and pulled Tsuna close to him when he walked over to the couch. It felt weird as Tsuna was only used to getting hurt from being so close to somebody. 

His nervousness seemed to show. Mukuro didn't acknowledge how nervous Tsuna seemed. He just gently ran his hands along Tsuna’s arms and down his back. The two easily relaxed into each other, letting the smell of the food and the underlying scent of musk calm them. 

They were both asleep in no time. They had eaten some but when they were done they immediately curled back up together. Mukuro threw a blanket over them and let Tsuna lay on top of him.

Tsuna had woken up throughout the night as always but he felt more relaxed when he had woken up. There wasn't as much panic of being alone when he felt Mukuro"s breath glancing off of his neck. It was hard to describe once Tsuna thought about it but it was such a calming feeling. 

The same calming feeling let Tsuna fall asleep easier. He had never felt so at ease with somebody. Even sleeping in the same bed as Reborn, there was always some sort of dangerous edge. Reborn was always strung tightly. He would never admit it himself, but he was on constant alert. Tsuna didn't know why but he wasn’t one to ask Reborn about it. He didn’t care that much. He hated when people asked about his past. He respected Reborn"s privacy.

Mukuro stirred underneath Tsuna, making him remember where he was. Tsuna tried to untangle himself from Mukuro but the arms around his waist tightened.

"You don’t have to move." Mukuro said sleepily. 

Tsuna couldn’t help the smile taking his mouth as he looked down at Mukuro. His smile turned sheepish as he said, "I thought I was getting heavy."

Mukuro shook his head. He rolled over, making Tsuna fall onto the cushions. He let out a startled yelp as he made impact but the yelp was stifled in his shock as he felt Mukuro kiss his neck. It was tender and Tsuna never thought  _ tender _ would ever be a word to describe Mukuro. But that’s what he felt as the arms around him made him feel safe.

It took a solid two hours and prodding from Chrome to get the two to move.

"You can’t lay here all day." She had reasoned. It was soft, but her voice still had resolve.

Tsuna smiled easily up at her. Mukuro still had his face buried in Tsuna’s neck but they both knew he was listening. 

"Don’t worry, Chrome." Tsuna said easily. "We’ll be up soon."

Chrome let out a soft simper and left the two to make something for breakfast for herself. She usually let Mukuro make his own.

Before they could help though, Tsuna’s phone went off. It was the tone for an incoming call which made Tsuna want to ignore it. Only telemarketers called him. He never called anybody but when he picked it up it showed Reborn"s name. Or the name Reborn had set for himself when Tsuna asked for his email.

"Who’s named, "best looking person alive" on your phone, Tsunayoshi?" Mukuro asked in suspicion.

Tsuna was trying to talk through his laughter as he answered. "That’s...That’s Reborn. He set-set his name as-as that."

Mukuro didn’t seem convinced. "Why didn’t you change it?"

"He said he’d," Tsuna burst into another peal of laughter. "He said he’d put instant hair dye in my shampoo."

Tsuna quickly answered the phone before it went to voicemail. Mukuro pulled him back onto the couch as the line connected.

“Hello?” Tsuna answered.

“What took you so long.” Reborn demanded flatly.

“M-Mukuro asked why your name was what it was in my phone.” Tsuna tried to hold back his laughter thinking about the name again. “Why are you calling, Reborn?”

“Giotto’s here. He’s asking for you because he wants to take you somewhere. I didn’t care after he kept insisting since he blew you off last night. Wants to make up for it. Should I tell him what I’ve been saying for ten minutes now?”

“Which is?”

“That you’re with your boyfriend and don’t want to be disturbed because you’re probably getting-”

“I’m stopping you right there, Reborn.” Tsuna interrupted. “I-I guess I could meet him sometime near twelve? Ask him if that’s alright.”

“I"m not your messenger, Tsuna. Call him yourself and figure out a time.”

“I don"t have his phone number.” Tsuna mumbled. “So just ask him.”

“You’re lucky you’re over the phone. You shouldn’t get used to bossing me around, Tsuna.” Reborn pulled the phone away from his ear and said something to Giotto. Tsuna was able to hear the murmur of their voices but nothing distinct.

Reborn came back with a mildly annoyed, “Eleven. He"s meeting your dad again before they both go back to Italy.”

“Wait, he"s going back to Italy?” Tsuna shot upright in his surprise. Mukuro made a small sound in annoyance.

“I presume you didn’t know from that tone.” Reborn said easily.

“Of course I didn"t know. Nobody tells me anythings.” Tsuna sighed bitterly. “Alright. What time is it?”

“I"m not your clock, Tsuna. Check your phone.”

“It"s almost ten.” Mukuro supplied gently. He kissed underneath Tsuna's jaw gently and made Tsuna grin.

“Mukuro says it"s ten. So I guess I have to get ready and meet Giotto at our dorm?” Tsuna said into the phone. 

Reborn seemed bored and repressed a sigh as he said, “I don't care. If you think it’ll work then do it.”

Tsuna nodded. “Alright I guess I might as well go back to our dorm now. I'll be there soon. Bye.”

Reborn hung up without saying anything. Tsuna wasn't bothered as Mukuro immediately pressed kisses to Tsuna's face. He felt his face flame as Mukuro kept kissing him. He'd never been subjected to somebody this gentle and felt his stomach flip around.

“Mukuro, please. I have to get ready.” Tsuna said fondly. Mukuro let out a low keen, meant to be playful.

“But I don't want you to leave.” Mukuro said into Tsuna's throat. “Why not cancel.”

“I can"t. I just made the plans. I"ll come back tonight though, How about that?” Tsuna placated. He sat up, shifting so he was more comfortable on Mukuro"s lap. “I"ll come back and we can watch a movie in your room this time so we can fall asleep in an actual bed. How does that sound?”

Mukuro smirked mirthfully and nodded. He let Tsuna climb off his lap and stood up to walk Tsuna back. 

“Why are you walking me back? You don't have to.” Tsuna tried to protest.

“It's the least I can do.” Mukuro reasoned. He rested a hand on the small of Tsuna's back as they two started walking off. 

Since it was a Saturday, most people weren't milling around just yet. There were a couple people that gave skeptical and shrewd looks at the two but Mukuro glared straight back. Tsuna just kept his head down and shook off Mukuro's hand. He didn't want to go through the constant bullying he would go through if people found out he was anything but straight. 

“Tsuna, there's no need to be afraid.” Mukuro whispered.

“Yes, there is.” Tsuna mumbled. “You wouldn't understand. Nevermind.”

“Tsunayoshi, there isn't much you can"t tell me.”

Tsuna shrugged. The rest of the walk was quiet and Mukuro seemed mad. It made Tsuna nervous but he didn't address it. 

When they got to his dorm, Mukuro bent down and kissed Tsuna as gently as he had been treating Tsuna before. Tsuna happily closed his eyes, grabbing Mukuro"s hands as something to hold onto. When they pulled away, Mukuro gave one last peck to Tsuna's lips before leaving. Tsuna frowned, at least wanting a goodbye. But he wasn't going to complain as he walked in.

“Told you.” Was something he heard immediately when he saw Reborn. 

“I can't believe it!” Giotto exclaimed.

“Told who what?” Tsuna asked.

“I called Mukuro was going to kiss you passionately before he left. Giotto bet money on it.” Reborn looked up from his book opened in his lap and over at Giotto. “You owe me money.”

Tsuna wasn't sure if he should be mad over that fact. He decided to let it go and to just get ready. Giotto was still trying to argue with Reborn when Tsuna walked back out into the living room too. Reborn wasn't relenting.

“Deal's a deal, Giotto. You owe me money so hand it over today or tomorrow or there will be interest.” Reborn was saying. “Of course, you could just give it to Tsuna to give to me since you  _ are  _ going back to Italy.”

Giotto sighed in defeat. “I see. Well, I shall give it to Tsuna for you then. Please excuse us.”

“Tsuna,” Reborn called. Tsuna looked back in surprise and saw Reborn holding out his inhaler. “Don"t forget this, Idiot-Tsuna.”

He blinked, before laughing. “It"s been awhile since anybody"s called me that.”

“That isn't something to laugh over.” Reborn muttered underneath his breath. Tsuna didn't hear it and left with Giotto.

"So, Tsuna, where do you recommend we eat?" Giotto asked as they walked down into the front hall.

Tsuna shrugged. "We could go get to a restaurant. You know the layout better, Giotto." Tsuna didn't see how Giotto stiffened when he said that. 

"We should probably ask everyone else what they want first, they're always different." Giotto said thoughtfully. 

“What do you mean, everybody else?” Tsuna asked warily.

Giotto pointed to the steadily approaching front door where a group of people were standing. 

“Everybody else as in all of my other friends. Don't worry, Tsuna. They'll like you.” Giotto walked over to the group and said, "Hey guys. What do you guys want to eat.” And as a side note, added, “This is Tsuna, my brother that I"ve told you about." 

"Hey, Tsuna." G. greeted, leaning against the trunk of the tree. 

Tsuna gave a hesitant smile, waving a little at G. His family had moved to Japan after his dad had a bad accident and was fast friends with Giotto. G. was always around the house so it was a familiar face within the group. A man that looked like Yamamoto waved to Tsuna as well with a smile. He made Tsuna do a double take in surprise to make sure Yamamoto wasn't actually hanging out with his brother..

"We were just saying how we should get something to eat. Anybody have any preferences right now in what you want?" Giotto asked.

"There's a nice sushi restaurant a few blocks from here we can go to." The only girl in the group spoke up. She smiled at Tsuna, making him look down at the ground. "I"m Elena by the way."

"Hello, Ms. Elena." Tsuna said, flicking his eyes up momentarily before looking back down.

Are they opened yet, Tsuna?" Giotto asked as the group started off.

"Yeah, Tsuyoshi-san opens it at 9:30. It's eleven-thirty right now so we'll beat the lunch rush if we're lucky." Tsuna said. He was trying to keep up and keep his breathing even as he talked.

"Let's go then. We can introduce you to everybody once we're eating." Giotto said, looking back to make sure everyone was following.

Tsuna nodded easily. Everybody was friendly enough and they made polite conversation with Tsuna. Well, almost everybody. Tsuna was glad that the one that reminded him of Hibari Kyoya was as cold and distant. He seemed annoyed that there were so many people. Asari and G. were the only ones being friendly to Tsuna. Asari was currently asking about Tsuna"s speech therapy.

"Do you have to go any more now that you"ve got your voice back?" Asari had asked.

"Yes; they"re teaching me how to make my throat relax too. And I can"t speak very loudly so I have to work up to it.

"Boring..." Lampo, a twenty something with green straggly hair, mumbled. 

Tsuna's shoulders tensed automatically but tried not to be bothered by it. He'd been called and told worse by worse people. That didn't stop G. from smacking Lampo across the head and angrily saying, “Shut it, Brat. Nobody's telling you to listen.”

“It's the only conversation going on.” Lampo muttered.

“Like I caret.” G. said irritably. He pulled out his package of cigarettes and put one in his mouth.

"I don't think it'd be best if you lit that, G..." Tsuna said before G. could move to strike a match.it. 

"And why is that, short stack?" G. asked.

"I have asthma and one of my triggers is smoke." Tsuna mumbled. It was barely audible but Giotto heard him.

“So if people smoke in front of you, you'll have an asthma attack?" Giotto asked. Tsuna gave a slight nod.

G made a noise in the back of his throat before putting the pack of cigarettes back into his pocket. Tsuna gave him a slim and grateful smile before his head was shoved down by a hand, affectionately ruffling his hair.

The entire way, the group was rowdy and rambunctious. Tsuna was pushed to the side a little as the eight all talked. Soon even Asari and G. were wrapped up in other conversations. They were all friends and Tsuna was pushed to the side. It was basically the story of his life.

He was saved the pity party of one by his phone ringing. Tsuna was sure that this was a telemarketer but people were looking at him so he had to answer it. The number wasn't one he recognized though. The only thing he did know was the area code.

“Hello?” Tsuna said.

"Is this Sawada Tsunayoshi?" 

Tsuna stopped walking, sidling to the right of the sidewalk. Immediately he felt his hands going clammy in fear as he said, "Yes, this is Sawada. Can I ask who this is?"

"I was told to call this number by your friend, Yamamoto Takeshi?" The man said. Tsuna heard sirens through the phone and around him.

"Why are you calling? Did something happen?" Tsuna asked. He saw Giotto approaching him and he held up a slightly shaking hand to stop him.

"Yes, there was a car crash. Yamamoto Takeshi was taken to Namimori hospital for treatment along with a girl named”, There was a slight pause, like the guy looked down at something. “A girl named Chrome. Can I expect to meet you there?" The man asked.

"Yes, yes I'll be right there. How bad are their injuries?"

“I"d rather not discuss this over the phone. Is there a parent I can call?”

“Y-Yes. His dad owns TakeSushi. You could easily call the restaurant and his dad will pick up.” 

“Ah, his dad is Tsuyoshi? I know his father. He makes a mean batch of uramaki.” The guy let out a hearty chuckled that Tsuna returned shakily. “Alright. I can say your friend will be just fine. Please try not to worry.” 

The paramedic hung up and Tsuna couldn't help but staring at the phone before shoving it back into his pocket. He turned to Giotto with an anxious twist to his features. 

“Can you tell me what happened?” Giotto asked. 

“My friend, Yamamoto, was taken to the hospital. I-I have to go meet him.” Tsuna said. His voice had a nervous shake to it and Giotto stepped forward. He went to take Tsuna's hand but Tsuna flinched back.

“Do you want to go back to the school and have Reborn or Mukuro take you?” Giotto asked. He ignored Tsuna"s flinch.

“Y-Yeah. It'd be easier to tell everybody at once. They most likely already know as not many people don"t gossip in this town.” Tsuna answered.

“Tell me something I don't know.” Giotto answered with caustic humour. Tsuna let out a derisive laugh. “Do you want to walk back on your own?”

“Y-Yeah. I don't want to ruin your day with your friends. You said you barely get together anymore.” Tsuna waved off Giotto"s look and made a weak attempt at a joke they had. “Just save me something?”

It was an ongoing joke that when they cancelled on each other to say to save them something. It was mainly Giotto being saved some dinner Nana had made. This was before Tsuna gave up on his school work and was studying late in the night. Giotto would stumble in and there would be food for him to eat and they'd always end up talking to each other. 

Giotto smiled and pulled Tsuna in for a hug before he left. Tsuna watched Giotto explain to his friends Tsuna had to go do something before they left. None looked back so that was Tsuna's cue to leave as he tried not to run down the sidewalk.

It wasn't a long walk so it was easy for him to keep on track and not let his mind wander to the worst. He let his feet carry him and looked at the sidewalk, tracking the lines and muttering, “I'll be closer after I pass this light pole. I'm almost there once I get to the corner. One more corner to go until I get to the school.”

His phone buzzed when he got to the corner, making Tsuna jumped ten feet in the air. He hurriedly took it out, almost dropping it in the process, and laughed shakily. Mukuro had just told him a joke to make him laugh, (Why is a river rich? Because it has two banks). 

The email helped release some tension in his chest. His lungs were flaring and making every breath like needles but it was a dull ache Tsuna could ignore by now. Only sometimes during the night or early in the morning did it flare to unbearable pain but the days where it was hard to move were getting less and less. 

He made it to his dorm in record time for the pace he had set. Reborn was, yet again, doing some sort of exercise on the floor. Tsuna stopped dead in surprise but Reborn didn't seem bothered. His undershirt was damp and stuck to parts on his chest and Tsuna looked away awkwardly, clearing his throat.

“R-Reborn…” Tsuna called. He looked back over but again averted his gaze. “Reborn could you put a better shirt on? I need you to take me to the hospital.”

That caught his attention. Reborn hoisted himself up and wiped his face. He looked over at Tsuna, raking his eyes up and down Tsuna"s haggard body. He was panting more than he probably should and Tsuna had a small hunch as he tried to regain his breath. Tsuna's eyes looked tired and had slightly darker bags forming underneath.

“Why do you need to go to the hospital?” Reborn asked steadily. He chugged the rest of his water and disappeared down the hall. Tsuna followed so he could still talk where Reborn could hear him.

“Yamamoto and Chrome both were taken to the hospital. I don't think Mukuro knows about Chrome either.” Tsuna recounted. 

Reborn swung out and easily buttoned up his shirt. Tsuna felt his face pinch slightly.

“Are you really wearing that?” Tsuna asked.

“Yes, is there a problem with Hawaiian shirts?” Reborn asked as he flattened the collar.

“Well, no. It's just really...bright.”

Reborn resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He motioned for Tsuna to follow him and the two left. They went door to door, letting all the friends know. Tsuna never really realized how many people he actually knew that liked Yamamoto. Of course Gokudera and Ryohei were the first on board. Somewhere along the line, Gokudera and Tsuna had built a tentative friendship. It wasn't very strong yet because Gokudera had trust issues but Tsuna didn't mind. 

Mukuro was the last one to be told. Everybody let Tsuna be the one to tell him and they went on ahead to wait for the two outside the school gates. Tsuna nervously knocked on the door. Mukuro answered it almost immediately, making Tsuna step back in surprise. Once he knew who it was, Mukuro smiled down at Tsuna. It sent chills down Tsuna's spine, the smile, but he ignored it.

“Hello, Tsunayoshi. Might I ask why you're back so soon?” Mukuro asked. He was as coldly polite as ever.

“C-Chrome. It"s about Chrome.” Tsuna managed to stutter out. Mukuro narrowed his eyes and Tsuna hurried on. “Yamamoto and her both got into an accident. I-I don't know if it is but it could be bad.”

Mukuro nodded. He disappeared into the dorm and emerged in minutes with his jacket. “I guess we're going to the hospital then?”

Tsuna muttered a small, “I guess”, before he let Mukuro usher him down the hall. 

Everybody was waiting by the gates as promised but they were joined by Fon and a blond haired teenager. Reborn and the blond were butting heads, literally. Everybody seemed in shock as if they didn"t know how to break it up. Fon was saying something placating to all of them as Mukuro and Tsuna approached.

“-Is normal for us.” Fon was saying. He say Tsuna and smiled gently at him. Tsuna felt his lips tilt up in response but there was nothing behind the smile. 

“Should we go then?” Kyoko said. She had somehow joined the group with Bianchi and Haru. Gokudera edged his way beside Tsuna, looking sick, and it suddenly made sense as to why Gokudera looked like that.

Everybody made a general sound of consensus and they all set off to the hospital. It was quiet, or as quiet as it got with their group. Ryohei was yelling, running ahead of them in his excitement; Gokudera was yelling at him to calm down; Kyoko and Haru were both laughing at Ryohei"s antics; and Colonnello was provoking Reborn again. 

They arrived and Tsuyoshi was already in the waiting room. Mukuro immediately walked to the front desk and asked what was going on with Chrome. Tsuyoshi saw the group and seemed overtaken by surprise. He walked up to Tsuna.

“It's good to see you, Sawada.” Tsuyoshi announced. Tsuna gave a weak beam.

“Hello to you, Mr. Yamamoto.” Tsuna muttered. “I"m guessing you were called?”

“Yes. Thank you for telling them to call me. I never knew Takeshi had so many friends.” Tsuyoshi exclaimed.

“Y-Yeah. He makes friends easily.” 

Tsuyoshi smiled, winking. There was a nurse that called his name and he waved to the group as he went over to see what was happening. The entire group found seats throughout the slightly bigger waiting room. Reborn sat next to Tsuna while everybody else settled down the row. Gokudera refused to sit near his sister though and joined Tsuna. 

Mukuro walked over a bit later and sat down on the floor between Tsuna"s feet, leaning his head against Tsuna's inner-knee.

"You do know that you can sit on a chair, right?" Tsuna said, running a hand over Mukuro"s hair.

"Yes, but I'm comfortable like this." Mukuro said, playing with the bottom of Tsuna's pants.

Tsuna didn't feel like answering as he continued running his hands through Mukuro"s hair. He leaned his head against the wall behind him as he stared at the ceiling. Everything around him was background noise. People were talking around him but he didn't hear anything intelligible as he thought.

He hated hospitals. He was sickly as a kid so he was always seeing some sort of doctor fairly often. He got suckers and other candy from it but it wasn't fun getting needles. After his most recent stay, he disliked hospitals even more. He felt the sanitary, white fluorescent walls were too much. It was harder to think about being here more and more. But Tsuna couldn't just leave. His friends could end up dying and he had bailed because he couldn't handle his emotions for a few hours.

Something cold landed against Tsuna's shoulder, making him jump away, clamping a hand over his mouth so he wouldn"t scream like before. Old habits die hard they say. Mukuro had, somehow, disappeared without Tsuna knowing and the waiting room was considerably less empty of his friends. Reborn, Fon, Colonnello, Gokudera, and Kyoko were the only ones left. Reborn had dropped a can of juice onto his shoulder. He held the can up and looked up at Reborn in confusion.

“You haven't had anything all day.” Reborn said flatly. “It's better that than nothing at all. And you blanked out for over an hour.”

Tsuna blinked a bit dumbly but nodded. “Thanks.” 

Reborn shrugged and settled into the chair beside Tsuna easily. He perched on the edge and Tsuna was almost tempted to ask why Reborn always did that. And it was as if Reborn read his mind as Reborn suddenly sat farther back in the chair and relaxed his form. He gave a quick look over at Tsuna before staring straight ahead again. 

"Where"s Ieyasu?" Tsuna asked after a brief moment of silence. Tsuna"s leg shook constantly and it didn't help from the constant looks people were shooting him. He didn't have a sweater on so people could see his arms.

Everybody left but Reborn gave confused looks to Tsuna as he realized what he said. “Giotto, I mean. Where"s Giotto?”

“He"s at the police station. He's a cop so he"s obviously trying to figure out what's happening.” Reborn answered.

“What? No he isn"t.” Tsuna disagreed.

Reborn gave Tsuna an unimpressed look. “He lived in my own town when I lived in Italy  He used to be a lowly beat cop but he"s an investigator now.”

“H-How do you know him? He said he was backpacking through Europe not even four years ago.”

“He said that so he wouldn"t worry your mom.” Reborn didn't mention how Tsuna's face tightened. “He studied online and took the exam in person when he got to Italy. He had the best grade in the class.” 

“Wouldn't you be twelve when you lived in Italy?” Tsuna asked. When Reborn nodded slightly, Tsuna continued. “How do you remember this then?”

“I just do.” Reborn said shortly. “If you really want to know, but me coffee when we're on our way back to the school.”

“That"s your price? Coffee?”

“Now I want coffee and something to eat. Keep questioning it, Tsuna.” Reborn gave a slightly sadistic smirk to Tsuna, who blanched.

“Alright. If I just buy you coffee-”

“You'll get half the truth to whatever you ask.” Reborn finished.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i f inally finished editing this one. im gonna t r y to edit more frequently so i can finish and start posting the rest of the story omg  
> reviews are always nice!  
> -Gate


	13. Chapter 13

Tsuna felt his leg bounce faster as he waited for any news of Yamamoto. There were a lot of questions that nobody answered. The nurses only seemed to want to talk to Reborn out of the group. Reborn blew them away easily by saying, “I’m 16”, though. They cleared quite fast after he said that.

After a certain time, a nurse walked out and called Tsuna’s name. Reborn had to actually stand him up and get him to walk over to the nurse. 

“Y-Yes?” Tsuna said nervously. 

The nurse smiled falsely at him as she said, “Please, come with me. Rokudo Mukuro is asking for you.”

Tsuna blinked in surprise but followed. He passed Yamamoto's room on the way. He touched his face as he looked at the door leading to the room. There weren’t any windows he could see in sadly. The nurse leading him seemed annoyed that he was slowing down so Tsuna tried to keep pace with her.

Chrome was in the ICU for the night, Tsuna figured that much out when the nurse opened the door. She beckoned Mukuro out and left the two alone.

“Hey”, Tsuna greeted. He gave a small sheepish smile. Mukuro returned the smile with his cold smirk. Tsuna tried to ignore the uneasiness he felt and looked through the window at Chrome. 

She had tubes snaking out of her arms with a mask covering her face. Blankets were pulled up to her neck but Tsuna could tell that they were just to hide the bandages and blood Chrome had on her. She was out of surgery at least. 

Mukuro let out a small noise. It sounded like a grunt and a groan at the same time. Tsuna held out his hand hesitantly and Mukuro took it. Tsuna rubbed his thumb along Mukuro’s knuckles gently as they looked through the window. Chrome was in too much pain to even register anybody around her so the two didn’t bother watching long.

“Are you staying here?” Tsuna asked finally.

“...Possibly.” Mukuro answered after a pause. “I’ll have to take a rain check on out date.”

Tsuna gave a bitter laugh. “Don’t worry, we can have as many d-date nights as we want later.”

Mukuro squeezed Tsuna’s hand once before letting go. I should be in there when she wakes up. I shall see you tomorrow, Tsunayoshi. Go back to the school with Reborn.”

“See you”, Tsuna said softly. He didn’t know what to do so he just let Mukuro walk back into ICU. Only one person was allowed in the room with the patient so there wasn’t much Tsuna could do. He didn’t know very much in the first place so he slinked back into the waiting room. 

Reborn seemed to be sleeping in his chair. Fon shook his head when he gave a questioning look over. 

“He can sleep anywhere.” Fon told Tsuna. “It’s a special habit of his.”

“A special habit that doesn’t stop me from hearing everything.” Reborn said boredly. Tsuna couldn’t help the flinch of surprise but Fon and Colonnello looked unimpressed as always. 

“Any news about Chrome?” Reborn asked. 

Tsuna shrugged. “S-She’s hooked up to a lot of things. Mukuro didn’t tell me much.”

“Did you  _ ask  _ much?” Reborn said.

“Well, no. But I didn’t want to. What about Yamamoto?”

“No news. Mr. Yamamoto hasn’t come back out yet. The nurses won’t answer anything from us either since we aren’t family.”

Tsuna made an unsatisfied sound. He sat back next to Reborn again. The hospital grew quieter as the day wore on. There were bursts of activity as people came in the front door with injured but Tsuna couldn’t bear to look. There was an accident and he heard stuffed about burns. That was enough for him to want to leave.

Reborn tapped his head, trying to get Tsuna’s attention. Tsuna looked over, his eyes wide, when it finally registered but he wasn’t fully there. Reborn narrowed his eyes slightly before understanding dawned in his eyes.

“We’re going back to school.” Reborn announced. 

Fon and Colonnello looked confused but Reborn was pulling Tsuna up and out onto the street before either could question them. It was obvious that Tsuna wasn’t going to react well for being moved but Reborn wasn’t going to let him stay like that in a hospital.

Currently, Tsuna was dissociating. He was going to come back a confused mess with confusion as to where the last hour went in his life. The first time he had just started dissociating so it wasn’t as hard for Reborn to get his attention. This time wasn’t the same though.

Tsuna was so out of it he could barely walked. Reborn had to guide him like a toddler on a leash back to their dorm. Nobody paid any attention to them though as they were gossiping about the car crash. Reborn somehow managed to get Tsuna on the couch in one piece.

But now they played the waiting game until Tsuna snapped out of it. Reborn knew moving somebody that was dissociating was a terrible idea but if Tsuna was confused in a hospital he’d be more upset he was still in the hospital.

Soon enough, Tsuna almost fell off the couch and that jerked him out of it. Reborn stuck his foot out so Tsuna didn’t face plant onto the floor. Reborn wasn’t bothered as he continued reading his book, waiting for Tsuna to start asking dazed questions.

“Why am I back home?” Was the first thing out of Tsuna mouth, followed by, “How did I  _ get  _ back home?”

“I moved you. We were in the hospital but you start dissociating. So I moved you.” Reborn explained calmly. He didn’t move his eyes from his page but he knew Tsuna was staring at him in confusion.

“I did what?” Tsuna mumbled. 

Reborn looked up and wasn’t surprised when Tsuna was staring at the floor, his brow furrowed, and his mouth downturned.

“Dissociation. Its what happens with a lot of mental illnesses. It happens when somebody’s too stressed. When they’re suicidal or depressed. There are lots of reasons. You lose your sense of self when you dissociate and end up sitting in the same spot for hours on end, easily. Or you could suddenly have lost three hours because you weren’t paying attention.” Reborn shrugged, looking back down at his book.

“But...Wait, what was I just doing?” Tsuna blinked slowly, trying to register everything.

“I’ll explain in a half hour.” Reborn said. “You aren’t going to be understanding anything for a bit. Give it time.”

Unsurprisingly, Tsuna took an hour before he finally was able to gather his bearings. Reborn was indifferent the entire time. He seemed way too knowledgeable about this from just having read about it, as he said. Tsuna couldn’t help but want to push the subject a little bit. But Reborn would probably do something to Tsuna’s clothes if he tried to push Reborn.

“Are you sure I dissociated?” Tsuna asked for what seemed like the umpteenth time.

“Yes. I’m very sure that’s what it is, Tsuna. Don’t question me.” Reborn answered back levelly. ”Now what do you want to eat?”

* * *

 

Tsuna somehow convinced Reborn to let him go to the hospital instead of school the next morning. Tsuna knew that Reborn wasn’t that easily swayed though by the fact that exams started soon for the rest of the school. Tsuna’s class didn’t have to do exams though so he wasn’t missing much. Reborn probably just wanted an excuse to not sit through his own class.

The two made their way into the hospital and weren’t surprised that it was moderately busy. There was the hum of activity on all floors that radiated through the entire building, making it feel like there was a buzz in the air. 

At the front desk, the nurse eyed them. She was on the phone, talking rapid fire mandarin. Reborn narrowed his eyes slightly but didn’t say anything as he herded Tsuna to the front. They waited until the nurse was off the phone. Reborn played with a pen that was on the desk, scribbling onto a blank piece of paper. 

“Yes? How may I help you?” The nurse asked in annoyance. 

“Is Yamamoto T-Takeshi still here?” Tsuna asked. 

The nurse looked through files on the computer in front of her before finally shaking her head. “No, he checked out. His father is waiting in the waiting room upstairs. Do you want me to call the nurse to see where he is?” 

“Oh, no, t-that’s fine.” Tsuna said, waving the offer off. “Thank you.”

“ _ There’s no need to involve them. _ ” Reborn muttered in Madarin to the nurse. She seemed surprised and then infuriated. Tsuna looked between the two but Reborn placed a hand on his back and all but pushed Tsuna outside. 

“Reborn, what was that about?” Tsuna asked, astonished.

“Nothing.” Reborn said shortly. “I have something to take care of so I might not be home when you get back from classes. Can you email Yamamoto and ask where he is?”

“Yeah, I can.” Tsuna muttered. “I don’t want to bother him if he’s sleeping though. He could be home with his dad since it is close to winter break.”

“His dad is walking down the hall.” Reborn announced. “You can put your phone away then.”

“Oh, alright.” Tsuna shoved it into his pocket and turned to face the two Yamamotos walking through the automatic doors.

Yamamoto lit up when he saw Tsuna and Reborn, his smile a tad brighter than usual. He looked terrible as he had a black eye a split lip, and bruising on on cheek bone. There was a bandage over a small cut in the middle of the bruise and that was the lightest injury as Yamamoto also had a broken arm. Tsuna felt his chest constrict tightly in was that concern? Fear? Tsuna couldn’t place it and just let himself smile back at Yamamoto.

“Hey, Tsuna! Reborn!” Yamamoto said happily. “I thought you’d be in school!”

“Reborn said we could skip.” Tsuna answered. He leaned over to Yamamoto and muttered, “I think he just wanted to leave himself.”  
Yamamoto laughed but winced. At Tsuna’s concerned and scared look, he said, “I bruised a couple ribs. The school said I could just go home with Dad when I was released. So wanna come to my house?”

“He has to go back to school at lunch.” Reborn said, cutting between the two. “It’s a half day, starting at one. Don’t be late.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that, Reborn! I’ll make sure Tsuna’s back to the school by twelve.” Tsuyoshi laughed easily, clapping Reborn on the shoulder.

“Make sure of it.” Reborn started walking back to the school, the opposite way the other three were going.

* * *

 

Somehow they kept their promise and Tsuna was back by twelve. He ran by the dorm where Reborn was waiting for him to get his stuff before class. He had to hold back his scream when Reborn was in the living room. Tsuna didn’t expect it at all but it was good because Reborn had Tsuna’s stuff.

“Good to know they kept their word.” Reborn said. “Also you have an exam in twenty minutes. A surprise exam from the country.”

“What!” Tsuna yelled. “Why didn’t they tell us!”

“I did tell you. Last week, as well as numerous other times throughout the month.” Reborn shrugged. “You never studied though. Why do you think I was using my math book so much.”

“Because you’re weird and love reading textbooks!” Tsuna sighed heavily. “If I have an asthma attack, will I get a fifty?”

“Depends on what you wrote before your attack.”

Tsuna sighed even heavier. “Why do I have to do this?”

“I said so. Did you eat anything over at Yamamoto’s?”

“Well, no. I left before they made anything-”

“Go get something. Then leave. Don’t want to be late to your class that’s down the hall.”

Somehow, Tsuna managed to scrape by in exams with an overall score of 51 for most of his subjects. He got the results and could’ve kissed the paper. That was the best mark he could ask for. He passed and he didn’t give too many people expectations.

Of course, people didn’t stop making fun of him for it. When the teacher handed it back, she said, “Try harder next time,” before moving on. There were bursts of laughter from the people that got high 60s and could afford to laugh This class wasn’t a smart class so there wasn’t much gap. Tsuna couldn’t see what the problem was but he was more or less lying to himself as he stuffed the paper into his bag. He ignored the laughter and rubbed at his ears.

Nagi was still in the hospital still and it was a constant pressure on Tsuna because Mukuro had refused to take her off life support. So he was forced to watch her deteriorate slowly.  Tsuna asked him about why he wouldn’t take her off but Mukuro wouldn't answer.

Mukuro had become a little distant from everybody besides Tsuna after the accident. Tsuna was worried but wasn't willing to say anything since it was still a touchy subject for Mukuro. Especially since it was one of the reason Mukuro had become more toxic in their relationship.

Nobody talked about it or even noticed Tsuna’s deteriorating mental health except Reborn. But there was nothing he could do without tipping Mukuro off and causing things to backlash. The only thing Tsuna could do to distract himself was work on a lantern. There was going to be a festival to float lanterns down the river to commemorate the loved ones lost in July and since it was already January, he thought he might as well get a headstart. It was the only thing he could do at this point. Mukuro was constantly around and making sure he wasn’t with anybody else or his friends.

Yamamoto and Gokudera had both had enough. Reborn wouldn’t tell them what was going on with Tsuna, even if they asked constantly. 

“None of your business.” Was what Reborn said every time. It was infuriating.

Finally, they managed to get a day for the three to just hang out. All of them sat around in Yamamoto and Gokudera’s dorm. They forced Tsuna to turn his phone off so he wasn’t looking at it every ten seconds. He actually smiled and talked freely with the group.

The three had been becoming better friends as their time progressed. Gokudera had been body slammed into the pavement to avoid getting hit from a frisbee in the park and somehow that was grounds for him to be loyal for Tsuna. It was ridiculous and Tsuna didn’t understand why but Gokudera shared the same sentiments. 

“Tsuna, you’re great; why wouldn’t we support you?” Yamamoto had consoled. 

“Don’t suck up so much to him”, Gokudera growled. Yamamoto laughed easily, slinging an arm over the two.

“Why wouldn’t I? We’re all friends.”

Tsuna couldn’t help but smile at that. He seemed to have some support in his friends. It was weird to think he did though. It’s not like he was that important or interesting.

It was a fun day though. Yamamoto and Gokudera argued but were still happy and easygoing when Tsuna tried to break them up. They didn’t do much unless you counted playing the game of Monopoly that ended with Gokudera angrily clearing the board when he was the first one out. He had done all the calculations! He should’ve been first. But Yamamoto beat him by a landslide. 

Tsuna couldn’t stop smiling all day. 

“I’m glad you guys are my friends.” He had said. Gokudera and Yamamoto looked at each other in confusion before grinning ear to ear at Tsuna.

“”We’re even luckier to have you, Tsuna!” Gokudera insisted. 

“Yeah, what Gokudera said!” Yamamoto added.

“Get your own point, dumbass.” Gokudera barked. Yamamoto laughed, waving his hands placatingly.

“Tsuna knows what I meant though! I’m good at baseball, not Japanese!”

Tsuna left their dorm with his smile intact. He turned his phone on and let it power up as he walked down the hall. He had a thing where he liked to read random wikipedia articles so he might do that. He hadn’t in awhile. He never really had time to himself. He did it all the time when he had been bedridden for a while. It was the only thing he could do to pass the time.

He looked down at his phone to check if he got any emails and felt his heart jump into his throat. Mukuro had called, texted, emailed, done anything he could do to get to Tsuna over the last two hours. His phone had been off and he was kind of relieved it was. He hadn’t been with his friends for weeks. Reborn was the only people he really saw but even that was a stretch. 

Tsuna closed his eyes, trying to gather his courage as he started to email Mukuro back. He knew he should probably ignore Mukuro altogether and act like nothing happened but he couldn’t. He was scared he’d end up getting hurt.

Reborn was sitting on the couch when Tsuna walked in. Immediately, Reborn said, “Mukuro’s getting too clingy for it to be healthy.”

“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Tsuna mumbled. If he acted dumb Reborn would most likely drop it. It’s not like playing dumb was hard either.

“You know what I mean, Tsuna. How many times did he call you today? Emailed you?  _ Texted  _ you? Just trying to know where you were and who you were with.”

Tsuna flinched, feeling his entire body empty with defeat.”He might not be the best-”

“The best?” Reborn scoffed. “He’s controlling you like you’re some  _ dog.  _ It isn’t healthy. If this keeps going on, I’m going to have to get the school involved.”

“No!” Tsuna said loudly. Reborn raised an eyebrow in question. Tsuna usually wasn’t so bold. He regretted it instantly as he backtracked. “No, sorry, I don’t mean to-to boss you around. But if the school gets involved things will...Happen. Legally. And I don’t want that. Mukuro’s going through something! Everybody isn’t their best when the things Mukuro has been through happen to you!”

“Things like what? Like how he isolated you from your friends? How he said he’d rather die than leave you? Snaps whenever he has to talk about what he smells like?” Reborn got up, starting to walk passed. He stopped and turned to look at Tsuna. “He’s the reason you’re so upset lately. If you can’t see it now, there’s nothing more I can tell you.”

Reborn left to his room, the door shutting softly. Tsuna blew out forcefully, pulling his hair sharply out of his face. Everything that had been happening were rushing to him and he knew how unsafe he felt around Mukuro wasn’t just him. He could be overreacting though. That was completely possible. 

Tsuna’s phone went off again. It was Mukuro calling him again. Tsuna really fought with himself but finally answered it before it could go back to voicemail. 

“H-Hey,” Tsuna said into the phone. Mukuro let out a sigh and said back, “Hey, you. Where were you all day?”

“O-Oh, I was with Gokudera and Yamamoto. T-They said we had to turn our phones off so we could watch a movie. They both get a bunch of emails from girls around that school.” Tsuna let out a nervous laugh. “They said it’s only fair I turn mine off.”

Gokudera was the one to come up with that excuse. Everybody lusted over the two so it wasn’t that farfetched to say that they had to turn their phones off. Whether Mukuro bought it ot not was still out to jury.

“Well, can I see you? I missed you.” 

“Uh, yeah. Yeah of course. Do you want to come over right now?” 

“I was hoping we could stay in my dorm. Considering Reborn would be there and all there wouldn’t be much...Privacy.”

“Oh, he’s out with Ms. Bianchi. They’re on a date. We’ll be alone for a little bit at least. I also don’t think I should walk very much. I might have an asthma attack.”

“It’s always about you.” Mukuro sighed before saying, “I guess I could come over there. I’ll meet you in a few minutes.”

Tsuna got off the phone and immediately started knocking on Reborn’s door. He answered it and looked irritably down at Tsuna.

“You want me to leave, don’t you?” He asked immediately.

“What..? How did you know-?”

“I can read minds. How long am I going to be out then?”

“Just maybe t-twenty minutes. Not long just long enough for Mukuro to not be suspicious.” Tsuna stepped back so Reborn could walk out. “Please?”

“I never said no, Tsuna. He should be here any minute so it’s not like I have time.” Reborn got his shoes on and set a paper lantern on the table covered in scraps. He signed, “ _ Act like you were working on this,  _ before saying out loud,. “I’ll be back later then.”

Mukuro was at the door as Reborn opened it. Both Reborn and Mukuro stared at each other.

“I thought you said Reborn here was on a date?” Mukuro asked whimsically. 

“I had to get something from my room. I’ll be back in a bit.” Reborn turned to Tsuna and signed out, “ _ You owe me; big time. _ ”

Tsuna smiled nervously as he closed the door behind Mukuro. Mukuro didn’t exactly like him frowning. Tsuna motioned for Mukuro to come in further as he started to gather the paper scraps all over the table into a pile.

"What's this?" Mukuro asked curiously. He walked easily into the dorm. He sat down, waiting for Tsuna to be done cleaning.

"I'm making a lantern for July." Tsuna said. He concentrated on putting the materials he used put the entire thing together away in the right spots. Reborn was such a stickler to having things neat and tidy 

"Are you sure it’s fine?" Mukuro asked skeptically. . 

“I-I thought it looked nice…” Tsuna picked up the lantern and hung it on his bedroom door.

"Well, you certainly have a tacky and unique one.” Mukuro said. He smirked as Tsuna walked closer. He snagged Tsuna’s wrist and pulled him onto his lap. He leaned back so they were laying together, Mukuro running a hand along the side of Tsuna's hip.

Tsuna was too tense to say anything. He could smell something weird coming off of Mukuro but he couldn’t place it. He didn’t want to ask. It was hopeless to ask anything now since Mukuro would either turn it around or get angry and dance around the question. Tsuna was tired. 

Mukuro hummed a little as he placed a kiss against Tsuna's jaw. Tsuna shifted a little so he was more comfortable, wrapping his arms around Mukuro's neck as Mukuro kissed the corner of his mouth, slowly making his way towards Tsuna's mouth. Tsuna forced himself to laugh, trying to psych himself up for this. This was something they did all the time. It was fine, it was completely fine.

He shouldn’t have felt so relieved when the door opened minutes later. Reborn wasn’t paying them attention. He was talking to somebody in a rushed voice. He wasn’t talking Italian so Tsuna had no idea what he was saying but he winked over at Tsuna as he turned into the hall. 

A flash of guilt riddled him as he saw Reborn. Then he realized he felt guilty for being caught with his boyfriend. He was a mess if he was guilty being caught.

As the two tried to settle back against each other, Tsuna felt a little happy but seeing Mukuro smirking, Tsuna couldn't help the rush of negative emotions that swept him up. He barely knew anything about Mukuro. It had been almost two months yet he had no idea what Mukuro’s parents names were.

"Hey, Mukuro", Tsuna said, catching Mukuro's attention. "Do you think we should...Stop this?”

Mukuro looked away from Tsuna, staring at the soft pinks setting fire to the sky. He sighed and when he looked over at Tsuna, Tsuna immediately regretted asking that.

“What do you mean ‘stop this’, Tsunayoshi?” Mukuro asked evenly.

Tsuna pulled hair behind his ears as he stammered out, “W-Well, I don’t think...no; no nevermind. I’m not-I’m not thinking right. Forget I said anything.” 

Mukuro narrowed his eyes. He hated people stopping what they were going to say in the middle of their sentence. Tsuna shrunk in on himself and tried to make himself as small as possible. He had made a mistake, he didn’t want this. Mukuro was going to be angry because Tsuna couldn’t keep his mouth shut to keep Mukuro happy.

“Tsuna,” Mukuro said, strained. Tsuna felt his breath stop and stutter. He only used his shortened name when he was infuriated. “What do you want to tell me, Tsuna?”

“W-Well, I don’t think…” Tsuna pushed away from Mukuro and got up abruptly. He couldn’t do this sitting down. He had to do something to relieve the stress. Finally, Tsuna burst out with a rushed, “I don’t think this is working out between us. I’m always s-scared to disagree or say anything. You  _ never  _ say anything about yourself so I feel like I don’t even know you  and-and I don’t feel like I can do anything around you!”

Tsuna sucked in a breath, trying to steady himself. Mukuro was calculating and cool as he looked at Tsuna. He seemed reserved, like he had expected something like this to happen. Tsuna couldn’t look at him.

“Are you sure this is what you want? Did you ever think what I’m going through right now, Tsuna?” Mukuro bit out. “If you’re looking out for yourself so much, please by all means. Don’t hold back. Tell me, would you rather see me dead then?”

“What?” Tsuna asked, startled. “Where did you get...Any of this, Mukuro?”

“You don’t have to say it, don’t worry. I know my way out. Please, don’t beat around the bush so much. I know I’m not good enough. Please, don’t spare me.”

Mukuro got up and left. He didn’t look back. He didn’t say good bye or where eh was going. He just left, shutting the door harder than he probably should. 

Reborn was quick to walk out, looking like he’d just woken up as he looked over at Tsuna.

“Date night not go as planned?” Reborn asked. Tsuna didn’t have time for sarcasm as he buried his face in his hands. “Not going to talk?”

Tsuna shook his head, feeling overwhelmed. His chest hurt too much and his head seemed to be pressing too hard on his brain. This was all too much. He couldn’t believe he actually did that. Mukuro could be anywhere, maybe suicidal now after almost losing Chrome and now being single. 

God he was horrible, wasn’t he?

Reborn clucked his tongue as he walked into the kitchen. He seemed to be brewing coffee of all things. Tsuna didn’t care. It’s not like he deserved anything. He was causing so much pain.

“Here, drink this.” Reborn said. He set a cup down in front of Tsuna on the foot table. “It’s tea, Tsuna. Don’t look at it so suspiciously. It’ll help you calm down.”

Tsuna knew Reborn was just trying to help so he didn’t put up much of a fight. There was no use. The two sat and drank their respective drinks. Reborn told various stories about the day he had when Tsuna was gone. Skull had challenged him to a fight and Reborn immediately dropped Skull; Fon had visited after helping Skull to the infirmary and said Luce was fuming the two were fighting; and Colonnello paid Reborn for the two bets he lost.

Tsuna didn’t really listen to most of the rest and he curled up against the side of the couch. He sighed and asked into the silence, "What would you like Reborn?"

Reborn shrugged as he rested a foot against the table. "I came to bother you."

"Go bother Bianchi then.” Tsuna said irritably.

Reborn wasn’t bothered by that as he sat closer to Tsuna. "Bianchi and Gokudera are spending the night together so they can talk. Bound closer as siblings as Bianchi likes to say."

"What about Fon or Colonnello? Don’t they always hang around you?." Tsuna didn’t want to talk to anybody and Reborn knew that. That didn’t mean he’d be left alone though.

"They’re boring.. Lal Mirch and Colonnello are on a date. I could go bother them. We both know they’re just watching horror movies together. Fon is training a new student so if I interrupt I’ll be forced to spar. I don’t want to." Reborn shrugged again. "If you want we could go prank the student body. Skull is currently trying to beat my record with a couple other dorm mates. He’s mad I beat him up so easily.”

“I’m fine, Reborn.”

“Well, laying here insisting you’re fine when you’re actually close to having an asthma attack doesn’t exactly tell me you’re actually fine.”

“Fine, I’m not. I don’t want to talk about it.”  
“Nobody’s forcing you to. Except me. I’m tired though so I’m sleeping here.”

“Why not go back to your own room?”

“I don’t have to explain myself to you.” 

Reborn laid down and fell asleep almost instantly. Tsuna couldn’t move as Reborn had laid on top of him and was now dead weight against Tsuna’s arm. There was no moving for at least an hour thanks to that.

Tsuna sighed, accepting his fate. If he wanted he could try to make blackmail material but he was pretty sure Reborn wasn’t completely asleep. He also knew Reborn was here because he knew Tsuna wouldn’t fair well alone. Especially after what happened tonight.

He felt Reborn shift, burying his face into Tsuna’s shoulder. It made Tsuna’s heart swell with affection he didn’t know was in him and smile.

At least he had Reborn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i came back my children and the next one is gonna be super long so just bear with me guys im doing my best here omg   
> -gate


	14. Chapter 14

Tsuna had been lying in the same position for three hours. Reborn had been asleep for all three hours and had yet to move from his side. He hadn’t even grunted and shifted the entire three hours. Tsuna really had to pee and waking Reborn up had proved to be such a bad idea.

Finally as Tsuna was starting to actually consider rolling Reborn onto the floor, he woke up. He shot up immediately, looking more alert than Tsuna had ever been in his life. 

“Oh man, you’re up!” Tsuna almost moaned. He went to the bathroom and came back out to see Reborn looking confused. It was gone the instant he noticed Tsuna was watching him though. 

“Why did you sleep so long?” Tsuna asked hesitantly. He wasn’t sure if he should. Reborn wasn’t really one to share personal things.

"...It's a side-effect." Reborn said simply. He got up and walked passed Tsuna. Tsuna slid after, even when Reborn walked into his room.

"A side-effect of what?" Tsuna asked.

"My medication."

"For what?" Tsuna asked in shock. Reborn never got hurt so there was no reasoon for him to take anything. The thought of Reborn needing anything made Tsuna’s gut twist uncomfortably.

"Do you really care that much?" Reborn snapped. Tsuna flinched back and Reborn let his face soften as he turned to look at Tsuna."I take anti-psychotics. I live with Bipolar II disorder. It’s not a big deal. 

"How come you never told me?" 

"You never asked; Luce wanted me to keep it a secret." Reborn shrugged like it was nothing.

Tsuna laughed derisively. He’d had his fair share of people telling him that. “What other side effects are there?"

"I get dizzy, nauseous, headaches, and fatigue. Bianchi is the only one that knows about most of this. I’ve fallen asleep too many times to count."

Tsuna nodded, saying hesitantly, "I-If you need any help I’m here for you.”

Reborn didn’t say anything as he crawled into his bed. Tsuna joined him, his hands resting on his stomach. 

"What should I do if you pass out on me again?" Tsuna asked after a beat of silence.

“It won’t happen again. I’m switching to a different medication."

"You're Bipolar?" Tsuna asked thoughtfully.

“Yes. We’ve established that." Reborn said in annoyance. "Don't tell anybody without my permission. It's annoying and I'd rather not be put in a mental hospital again."

"Yet you're in a mental hospital right now, aren't you?"

"I'm not a patient, I'm a caretaker. You're a patient."

"True. Do your siblings know?"

"Yes, but they know that I'll get upset at certain times of the year so I get those days off."

"What kind of times?"

"My birthday. It's not important, really. People give me things so it makes it easier.”

"When is your birthday?" Tsuna shifted a little so he could look at Reborn better.

"October 13th. Day before yours."

“That’s so weird…” Tsuna breathed. 

“Not as weird as watching two nerds trying to flirt. They don’t even know the definition of romance..”

Tsuna snorted, falling silent. 

Reborn seemed to be a lot friendlier to him after Tsuna found out Reborn took medication. After the initial shock, Tsuna couldn’t think of anything else to feel weird about. Reborn was a person, sure a really scary and tall person, but he had his own weaknesses. 

Reborn hid those weaknesses really well though. The only time Tsuna even thought that Reborn was breaking down was when he woke up in a cold sweat that same night. 

“What’s wrong?” Tsuna had asked quietly. Reborn didn’t answer him and just stared straight ahead. He started pacing slightly. 

Reborn didn’t want to talk about it obviously so just opened his arms, an invitation for Reborn to cuddle up to him if he needed. He didn’t know if there was an apocalypse coming but Reborn accepted his offer and crawled into Tsuna’s arm. It was so weird because he didn’t even protest when Tsuna ran his hands through Reborn’s hair. It seemed to help Reborn relax more and fall back asleep.

Tsuna could’ve cried in that position. This was the first time in his life he had felt so safe with somebody near him. People bullied him when he was younger so much that touch made him wary. They only really pushed him into the ground but it was still enough to make him wary of people. 

But Reborn had never made him feel on edge. At first it was weird sharing a bed together because they didn’t really know each other. But now it was the most comfortable thing in the world to lay together and Tsuna wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Thanks, Tsuna.” Reborn said. Tsuna barely heard it but his heart fluttered and his face broke into a smile. 

For the next week, everything seemed to move fast. There was no other way to describe how that worked for Tsuna. There wasn’t any school for a few days because they had to clean the classrooms so some of the disabled students get an infection. The entire week the cleaning crew was going around, the entire school had a lazy atmosphere. 

But things were still going to fast as Tsuna had been getting calls after calls from Mukuro. Tsuna couldn’t answer though because his chest was giving him so much pain he could barely move. He wasn’t sure if it was asthma or if it was just his body reacting to something, but there was no moving him successfully. 

It wasn’t as bad as it could’ve been so Tsuna tried to downplay it. Reborn wasn’t having it though.

“Tsuna,” He said sharply. “You can’t move because it hurts too much. It could possibly be an asthma attack.”

“I-I know the  _ difference _ .” Tsuna tried to protest. 

Reborn shook his head. “There’s a nurse on their way, Tsuna. We aren’t risking it.”

Tsuna tried to grab onto Reborn but it hurt to move and it ended up being a mistake as he ended up gasping for air, trying to regain his breath. Reborn sat down and propped Tsuna up so his airways weren’t blocked.

“D-Don’t.” Tsuna uttered. Reborn just smirked smugly down at Tsuna.

Reborn let Tsuna lean against him, gripping his shirt as he tried to stay up. Tsuna didn’t want to lay back down since it was already too much work to get up. And it felt better to be leaned over instead of flat. He didn’t understand what was happening but it helped.

There was a knock on the door. Reborn looked down at Tsuna and gently rearranged Tsuna so he was leaning against the wall. He left Tsuna like that to answer the door, letting the nurse in.

“Is he in his room?” Reborn could not remember this woman’s name for the life of him so he just nodded. She let Reborn show her into Tsuna’s room before ushering him out.

“Now what seems to be the problem?” The nurse asked Tsuna.

“R-Reborn...Where-Where is-” Tsuna had to break off as he started hacking, slipping further down the wall onto his bed again. 

Reborn walked back into the room, giving a haughty stare to the nurse. “You didn’t let me explain.” Reborn said. “Tsuna is in too much pain. Talking is a struggle and moving makes it worse. We would like your professional opinion as to what is happening and what you can do to help him.”

The nurse seemed to bristle at the cool tone but deflated soon enough. She turned back to Tsuna and motioned for Reborn to come closer.

“Lay him down for me. He can’t hold himself up so it’s hard for me to check his vitals.” She said.

Reborn stepped closer, placing a hand against Tsuna’s back to ease him down. Tsuna suddenly gripped onto Reborn’s shirt, shaking his head. Reborn didn’t need an explanation as he slid behind Tsuna and helped him sit up.

“This is the best you’re going to get.“ Reborn stated. “Laying down makes it hurt worse.”

The nurse sighed through her nose before finally starting checking Tsuna. It took all of five minutes as Tsuna was having trouble responding. He seemed to be not completely there as he was developing a mild fever too. Reborn had no idea what could even do that but his forehead was hot, that’s what he knew. 

“We’re going to have to get him to the infirmary somehow. He needs something to help him sleep and for the pain. There’s nothing we can do at this point as I can’t see anything wrong.” The nurse packed up everything she used to check up on Tsuna neatly into a small carrying bag. “If you can find a way to get him to the infirmary, we should be able to keep him there for a couple days to see if it’s anything serious.”

“Alright.” Reborn said. 

“I’ll show myself out.” The nurse nodded once before disappearing down the hall and out the door. 

Tsuna stirred against Reborn, not realizing they were leaning against each other as he tried to roll over. Reborn sighed as he propped Tsuna up again, much to his dismay.

“Tsuna, we have to get you to the infirmary.” Reborn stated. “Can you walk at all or do I have to carry you?”

“Can’t walk. Won’t go.” Tsuna managed. His throat was so sore from the coughing he wasn’t sure how long he’d be able to talk more.

“Alright, suit yourself.” Reborn said right before he hoisted Tsuna onto his back. Tsuna didn’t even react, just held on as he let Reborn carry him. He just wanted to go to bed. He always got a wave of pain whenever he tried to sleep though.

Reborn didn’t force Tsuna to talk anymore as they left. They didn’t take anything, Tsuna guessed Reborn would bring simple things later on for Tsuna to use. He wasn’t exactly paying attention to anything around him. The only thing he could concentrate on was how Reborn smelled. 

It was a ridiculous thing to say but it anchored Tsuna and made it easier for him to stay present and alert enough to be able to answer questions. He would never admit to it though as that’s incredibly embarrassing to even think about.

Reborn walked into the infirmary, to the surprise of the nurse, and sat Tsuna down on an empty bed. The nurse was treating another patient so Reborn just helped Tsuna get comfortable himself. 

“Tired”, Tsuna muttered. Reborn laughed a little bit. It eased Tsuna hearing Reborn’s laugh.

“I know, Tsuna. Just bear with it for a little bit longer. The nurse is get everything ready as we speak.” Reborn’s voice was calming and helped Tsuna calm down. 

His chest constricted even worse though and he was gripping Reborn’s arm, trying to struggle to sit up. Reborn sat down and let Tsuna lean against him again, rubbing his back, and humming gently in his ear. Tsuna’s chest was still excruciating but he was lulled easier hearing Reborn humming to him.

The nurse came and Reborn propped Tsuna up long enough so she could put the IV in. She smiled politely at the two before backing away to start working on something else.

“Can you snuggle with me?” Tsuna mumbled. Reborn raised an eyebrow in question and Tsuna backtracked, even in his pain induced haze. “No, no you don’t have to. Fall asleep better if I have somebody to lean on is all.”

Reborn shifted so Tsuna’s head was fitted more comfortably against his shoulder. He never stopped rubbing Tsuna’s back, burying his face into Tsuna’s hair; and everything seemed to fall back into rhythm as they relaxed into each other. Tsuna was asleep and completely deadweight against Reborn’s chest. His grip on Reborn’s shirt loosened to the point that Reborn was able to remove it altogether. Reborn slung an arm around Tsuna’s waist, ignoring everything else around him. 

Sometime later, Reborn was able to untangle himself from Tsuna and go back to their dorm. He gathered small things like a toothbrush, change of clothes, things Tsuna could use for when he woke up again. Reborn slipped both their phones into his pocket and hoisted the bag onto his back. 

As he was about to leave, one of their phones rang. Reborn had a pretty strong feeling he knew who it was. When he pulled out Tsuna’s phone and saw Mukuro’s contact, he was a little annoyed that he was right. 

Reborn answered it anyways, shifting into a spot on impression of Tsuna as he said, “H-Hello?”

“Where have you been!” Mukuro demanded. “I’ve been calling you and you never pick up. Do you not want to talk to me? Do you think you’d be better off without me?”

“Mukuro”, Reborn had to move the mouthpiece away and collect himself before continuing. “Mukuro, please. You know I like you-”

“Then why’d you break up with me? “

Reborn sucked in a breath and hung up. He turned Tsuna’s phone off and slipped it back into his pocket. He locked the door behind him and kept going to the infirmary. He had a feeling Mukuro was going to be calling for a little bit longer if somebody didn’t put their foot down.

Tsuna was awake, albeit still a little out of it, when Reborn walked back in. He smiled giddily when he saw Reborn, giggling about something and mumbling incoherently. Tsuna had most likely just woken up and was still feeling the effects of the pain medication.

“Tsuna, how do you feel?” Reborn asked. Tsuna’s smile widened as he watched Reborn sit back down.

“ _ No pain. _ ” Tsuna signed out sloppily. Reborn quickly realized Tsuna must’ve lost his voice for a bit.

“Do you still want to sleep?” At Tsuna shaking his head no, Reborn added, “Do you want to go back to our dorm?”

Tsuna shook his head again and shifted so he could lay down again. He patted the bed beside him, motioning for Reborn to sit down. It was Reborn’s turn to shake his head this time.

“No, Tsuna. You need to sleep on your own.” Reborn set the bag full of Tsuna’s things down against the leg of one of the beds. “I’ll be here for a little while longer until curfew. Can you eat anything?”

Tsuna frowned, trying to remember if he was allowed. He didn’t want anything in the first place though. He turned his frown over to Reborn, shrugging lightly. He felt a small twinge of something when he did that but it was gone the second it appeared. 

Reborn seemed to not care at that point and just placed Tsuna’s phone on the small table next to the bed. He wasn’t going to bring up the fact Mukuro had called since Tsuna was just as likely to start crying from how unstable his emotions were. 

Soon enough, Tsuna had fallen asleep though and was snoring peacefully with Reborn watching over him. He was surprised that none of Tsuna’s friends had come to see where he was. It had been a few hours and people had seen Reborn carrying Tsuna. Some probably even took pictures. 

It was oddly quiet because in this school there wasn’t much to do except gossip. Usually multiple people were telling him the same thing at once. So many people wanted to talk to them he gave them a business email and very few people had his personal one. 

At eleven, Tsuna still had yet to wake up again so Reborn asked the nurse for Tsuna to call him when he was ready to leave. Reborn was not chancing having Mukuro intercept Tsuna without him being there. Not if Reborn was calling the shots. And he usually was. 

But what Reborn was hoping wouldn’t happen did. The nurse forgot to tell Tsuna to call Reborn so Tsuna was let go and told to go back to his dorm at eight the next morning. Reborn wouldn’t even be moving since they still didn’t have to go to school.

Tsuna was nervously walking down the hall, gripping the strap to his backpack like it was a lifeline. Next nobody was in the hall so he could hear his footsteps echoing everywhere. The tile looked too clean to him. He was used to the scuff marks, the stained off-white colour the tiles had. Having them clean gave a new layer to how hospital like the school was. Tsuna didn’t like it.

Tsuna scrubbed a hand over his face, trying to get himself to concentrate on anything but the tiles. He registered somebody walking down the hall, looking up briefly, and feeling his entire body seize up. 

Of  _ course  _ Mukuro was walking towards him. He didn’t seem to register it was Tsuna and he would rather keep it that way.

Tsuna ducked into a nearby closet, pressing his entire being against the wall. He heard Mukuro walk by, no stopping or anything. The entire time Mukuro had been walking slow and Tsuna felt his chest tighten in anticipation for Mukuro to finally disappear down the hall.

When he couldn’t hear him anymore, Tsuna collapsed onto the floor, pulling his knees to his chest. He didn’t expect such a reaction to come about when he saw Mukuro. It was like a flip had switched inside him where he didn’t want to see anything relating to Mukuro.

He didn’t want to move because this was his safe spot. Nobody knew he was here, especially Mukuro, but he also needed somebody there. 

Before he even knew it, he was reaching for his phone and dialling Reborn’s number. This was the only number he could think of and the only person that was probably awake at this hour. And if he wasn’t Reborn most likely wasn’t going to be too mad if Tsuna explained what was happening.

The line clicked and there was a slightly tired, “Hello, Reborn speaking.”

“R-Reborn, I don’t know why I’m calling you but I just need somebody to talk to r-right now.” Tsuna felt his voice crack and looked up at the dimming light bulb. He refused to have Mukuro as the reason he was crying.

Reborn immediately sounded more awake. “Where are you?”

“Closet.” Tsuna breathed. “I saw Mukuro walking towards me and I panicked. I don’t want to talk or meet with him.” Tsuna breathed in, trying to steady himself as he said, “I’m scared of what he’ll do to me.”

“He won’t do anything to you, Tsuna. Take another breath. What closet are you in?”

“I’m by the infirmary. I-I don’t know where I am.”

“That’s fine. Do you want me to meet you anywhere.”

“Could you meet me in the closet?”

“I know a better spot we can sit. I’ll come and find you, stay on the phone with me. Do you want to tell me why you never called me when you were released from the infirmary?”

“I was supposed to call you?” Tsuna never got that memo. “I’m so sorry, Reborn. I was probably told but I’m not smart, I forgot.”

“From how you’re saying it, you didn’t know in the first place, Tsuna. It’s nothing to worry about. I just wanted the nurse to tell you so you weren’t walking in the halls alone. Mukuro could easily corner you and guilt you into doing things. He called yesterday trying to do the same thing.”

Tsuna let out an uneasy breathe. “He called?”

“Yes, multiple times. Did you not get anything when you turned your phone on?”

“I wasn’t paying attention.” Tsuna muttered. “I just wanted to call you. I guessed you would be up.”

“I just got to sleep when you called. I’m in a hypomanic phase. I can’t sleep very well.”

“W-What’s hyp-hypo-”

“Hypomania.” Reborn supplied, cutting Tsuna off. “It’s when I have too much energy. It isn’t as severe as Mania but I still am affected by it. My medication wears off near eight at night since it’s only twelve hour so the night time is harder for me when I’m in a hypomanic state.”

“Is it hard to deal with?” 

“A little. It isn’t as bad when I was younger, when I was first getting symptoms of it. I’ve just learned how to deal with it.”

“T-Thank you for telling me.” Tsuna said. He heard Reborn chuckle.

“You caught me at a good time. I don’t have very good impulse control. I could tell you my entire life and not think about it until weeks later.”

“Didn’t you take your meds this morning?”

“I took them before I left. I’m walking down the hall near our dorm wing. They usually take a half hour to settle in and take effect on me.”

“Oh....” Tsuna muttered. He put his head between his knees as he listened to Reborn. 

“Tsuna,” His name made Tsuna lift his head up. “How do you feel?”

“I don’t know”, Tsuna answered honestly. “I’m a lot of things. I’m sad, I’m hurt, I’m confused, I’m also hungry.”

“What’s your overall feeling right now?”

“I-I’m scared.” 

The line ended and Tsuna looked up, letting out a weak smile when Reborn was leaning around the doorframe. He offered Tsuna his hand, hoisting him up. Tsuna felt weak, his relief evident in his entire being as he leaned against Reborn’s chest.

“Thanks, Reborn.” Tsuna mumbled. A hand smoothed through his hair, Reborn leaning into a hug.

“Don’t worry about it. Let’s go back home. You’ve had enough excitement for a few hours.”

Tsuna passed out in Reborn's bed the minute they got back into the dorm. Reborn wasn’t too far behind as he finally slipped into the bed with Tsuna. He was tempted to protest but Tsuna looked so content, he’d allow it this time.

Immediately, when Reborn had settled, Tsuna rolled over and latched himself onto Reborn. He sighed, practically melting into Reborn’s body as he fell back asleep. Reborn just smiled, placing a small kiss onto Tsuna’s forehead.

They really were lucky to have each other.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reviews are appreciated! Especially with my new edits! Please, tell me how I’m doing!
> 
> -Gate


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> emotional/physical abuse warning

Tsuna was in the shower and Reborn was making something to eat when Mukuro knocked on the door. Reborn could tell who it was immediately because none of Tsuna’s or Reborn’s friends knocked. They just found a way to come in. 

Reborn tried to contain his groan, slipping his face into neutrality as he answered the door. Mukuro seemed completely nonplussed, trying to edge his way inside the minute Reborn opened the door. 

Reborn put his hand on the door frame, blocking Mukuro from entering, and leaned in closer to Mukuro and said coolly, "What do you want, Mukuro." 

"I would like to speak with you privately,”  Mukuro said calmly. “Please, come with me." 

"We talk here or no where at all." Reborn said evenly. 

Mukuro raised an eyebrow, thinking like this was a joke. But he relented, showing his palms placatingly. “Your house, your rules.”

Reborn let Mukuro inside, shutting the door sharply behind him. Mukuro was rifling through things on shelves, looking through Reborn's math notebook that was out on the foot table, looking through everything he could. He knew it put Reborn on edge too as he saw the mild annoyance reflected in Reborn’s eyes.

"I know that you have feelings for Tsunayoshi." Mukuro said bluntly. He dropped Reborn’s math book again and turned to face Reborn fully, crossing his arms.

Reborn wasn’t shocked by what Mukuro was saying. Mukuro loved jumping to conclusions. This was a correct assumption. 

"What’s your proof?" Reborn asked, going back to cooking. 

"That's not the point. I’m not here to provide proof of anything. I can't have you taking Tsunayoshi away from me though. Certain people are...looking for him, so to speak.” Mukuro grinned snarkily as he saw Reborn’s shoulders rise.

Reborn didn’t let Mukuro get to him as he relaxed almost immediately, his face still as blank as ever. “I’d love to see them try. It’s full of idiots.”

“Oh, are we not giving them a name?” Mukuro asked coyly. He stepped through into the kitchen. Reborn could see his reflection and eyed it warily as he turned everything off.

“No, we aren’t.”

Reborn dumped everything onto two different plates before turning to Mukuro. He didn’t have time for this. Tsuna was either eavesdropping or still in the shower. Either way Mukuro needed to be gone. 

“If that’s all you wanted to tell me, please show yourself out.” Reborn said. He shouldered passed Mukuro to the sink to dump everything in.

“Well, what do you say that we fight for Tsuna then. Since both of us want him we can fight for him.”

Reborn sighed. Where did he even begin. “Tsuna isn’t a prize to be won. And we’d be caught in no time if we fought in the dorm.”

“Oh? You seem to know your way around. I heard you fought Skull though.”

“Because he’s Skull. He’s a damn idiot and was asking for it. You can follow in his steps if you don’t get out of this dorm, or you can do the smart thing and leave.”

Mukuro laughed, blocking the exit to the kitchen. Reborn resisted the urge to sigh, staring impartially. He didn’t have time for this and he refused to let Tsuna walk out to see the one person he’d rather avoid. Mukuro seemed to have other plans though and seemed insistent that they fight.

It suddenly dawned on Reborn that Mukuro was trying to get a rouse out of him. The idea just made Reborn want to laugh. Alright, thought Reborn. I’ll do the exact opposite to what Mukuro wants.

“What?” Mukuro breathed. “Not going to do anything to me? I thought you would’ve wanted me out of here as soon as possible, seeing as precious Tsunayoshi is just down the hall.”

“Get out of the way,” Reborn said flatly. 

“You’re content to just letting me do this? What kind of person would let somebody else be taken underneath their nose? Sold off even. Surely you know-”

Reborn grabbed Mukuro by the collar, cutting off the rest of what he was going to say. He shoved Mukuro against the nearest wall, his hand gripped around Mukuro’s throat as he leaned in and said low and dangerously, “Say one more word, Mukuro.  _ One. More. Word. _ ”

Mukuro smiled, holding his hands up in surrender. Reborn dropped him, obvious red marks where his hand was. 

“Leave before they aren’t just marks.” Reborn said. Mukuro knew when he had lost and showed himself out. Tsuna inched his way out around the corner, peeking up at Reborn meekly.

“I-Is he?” Tsuna asked quietly. Reborn nodded.

“He should be gone. There’s food on the counter for you. I have to make a call.”

Reborn stepped around Tsuna, grabbing his phone in the living room. Tsuna watched him curiously, narrowing his eyes as he watched Reborn straighten up immediately, his phone still on the coffee table. 

At Tsuna’s confusion, Reborn said, “It died. I have to meet my mom and you’re coming with.”

“Oh”, Tsuna muttered. “Do I not get a...choice?”

“Do you trust me?” Reborn looked down at Tsuna, his eyes taking on a pleading note.

Tsuna thought about it, frowning. Was Reborn trustworthy? Was there a reason  _ not  _ to trust him? Yeah, Reborn pulled pranks occasionally but they were never that bad. The worst threat of anything had been instant hair dye in his shampoo. Yet Reborn liked to have this mysterious air around him that made him feel untrustworthy.

In the end, Tsuna said, “No...I don’t see why I  _ wouldn’t  _ trust you.”

Reborn had a satisfied smirk on his face as he ushered Tsuna into the kitchen, placing the food he made in front of Tsuna. 

“If you had answered immediately, I would’ve had to teach you better.” Reborn said as an afterthought.

* * *

 

Tsuna sat between Reborn and Giotto uncomfortably, trying to make himself as small as possibly. Reborn boredly picked at his cuffs but there was an obvious edge in the room. He would much rather be out there decking Mukuro but he had a reputation to uphold. Reborn didn’t rush into things no matter how badly he wanted to. 

Luce swept back into the room with Verde, making Reborn make a disgusted scoff. Tsuna was the only one who seemed curious about that. It wasn’t the time to ask though as he looked back down at the floor.

The group was in a conference hall. Reborn had immediately pushed Tsuna inside and told Luce’s secretary to call her in. Somehow, Giotto was in Japan too and was waltzing in the conference room. He looked impressive and terrifying all the same and it didn’t help Tsuna feel safer.

Reborn handed a plastic ring to Tsuna, leaning to his ear, “Put that on your finger and twist it around. It won’t cure your nerves, but it’ll give you something to distract yourself with.”

The rush of gratitude and emotion Tsuna felt was sudden and he smiled brightly and widely up at Reborn. He looked away, seeming to hide his face for a split second before being able to rearrange his face back to his neutral one. 

“Why am I being called in here?” Luce asked. “You said it was urgent so it better be.”

“Mukuro’s targeting Tsuna.” Reborn said nonchalantly. “When Tsuna was in the shower he tried to intimidate me into fighting him.”

“Did you?” Luce asked, leaning on the table. 

“No. I was near a stove. Food and health safety.” Reborn looked levelly at Luce, adding, “I could’ve beaten him in a minute but the dorm is too cramped and I’d have to clean up his blood and dishes.”

Tsuna let out a small laugh as Luce hung her head. Giotto and Verde seemed indifferent and Verde adjusted his glasses, trying to edge out of the room. He had more important things to look into than Reborn’s petty fights.

“How are they targeting Tsuna.” Giotto asked. He leaned forward an arm, all business.

“Leave.” Reborn said at Verde, Giotto, and Tsuna. Tsuna was shocked at the sudden turn but wasn’t going to argue. Giotto wasn’t so ready to give up though.

“We aren’t leaving, Reborn. You called this meeting yourself so explain who is targeting Tsuna and what is happening.” Giotto sounded calm but he was glaring at Reborn with such heat it could cook an egg. 

Reborn turned to Luce and said something in Italian. Tsuna and Giotto looked at each other in curiosity. Giotto only spoke Japanese and broken Italian. Luce and Verde seemed shocked though and herded the brothers out, Verde closing the door behind him.

Giotto rounded on Verde the minute the door was closed. “What did he say?”

“For an Italian police investigator, I thought you’d speak better Italian.” Verde said. 

“I mainly do desk work.” Giotto snarled. “I can only read it now what did he say.”

Verde shrugged. “Who am I to tell?”

Tsuna did not want to be caught in the middle of the following conversation so he thought it was the best time to leave. He could hear Reborn discussing in a low voice in a language he didn’t know. Luce was responding in a second language, different from Reborn’s. Just hearing that made Tsuna peace. He was going to get confused and having Giotto with him wasn’t going to help.

Nobody noticed him leaving and he sighed in relief. There was a lot of things flying around and Reborn would probably be angry but it was too hard to think. He just wanted to take a nap. He’d most likely highjack Reborn’s bed though since it was easier for him to sleep in there.

Somebody put a hand on the small of his back as he was walking down the hall. Tsuna thought it was Reborn and looked up, expecting black eyes. Instead he got blue eyes and dread. It was Mukuro of all people walking with him. In this sick twist of fate, Tsuna had to look into the eyes of the one person he wished to never see again.

“Hello, Tsunayoshi”, Mukuro purred into Tsuna’s ear. It used to be fun and heartwarming to hear the tone Mukuro used. Now it just felt like a bucket of ice water was being poured onto him.

But he smiled, looking up at Mukuro with the biggest smile he could manage, and said, “Hey, Mukuro. How was your day?”  
“Not good. Everybody had been talking about this picture and it broke my heart.” Mukuro showed Tsuna his phone and somehow, there was a photo of Reborn and Tsuna asleep in the hospital bed. Tsuna didn’t know how to even begin explaining it because he had no idea what had happened himself

Mukuro slammed his hand on the side of Tsuna's head, making Tsuna cower away and into himself. Tsuna hated that he was pressed against the wall; he could feel Mukuro press against him and his throat closed off.

"T-That was just something to calm me down; it didn’t mean anything!” Tsuna screeched. He had no idea if that was the truth but considering how much pain he had been in, that was the best guess.

“So you were just playing with Reborn’s feelings like that? Tsuna,” Mukuro shook his head, making a tutting noise. “That’s so rude, Tsuna.”

“What? No, I just meant that-” Tsuna was cut off when his face started stinging. He touched his face and felt blood starting to pool. 

“I don’t want to hear your lies anymore, Tsuna.” Mukuro hissed. He gently cupped Tsuna’s head in his hands, his face growing soft. “Come on, let me take you back to my dorm. I have a few DVDs we haven’t watched yet.”

Tsuna just nodded. He was too scared to do anything else. He just froze trying to think if there was any way he could signal to somebody he needed help. But the halls were deserted the entire time. Of all the times for nobody to be around, it had to be this one.  

Mukuro shut Tsuna in, guiding him to the back of the dorm where his room was. Tsuna just followed along, his anxiety increasing as it went. 

This was so unfair, why was it always him? He always got the bad draw. First it was his stupidity and how he couldn’t get a passing grade to save his life on any assignment. Then it was how his mom died and he was left on his own virtually with an out of touch dad. Now he was probably being kidnapped because what else was he going to do? Scream? His throat was already past the point of being sore, it was raw now and Tsuna knew it was from yesterday.

Mukuro pulled Tsuna onto the bed with him, gently cupping Tsuna’s face, and kissing him tenderly. “I’m sorry. You know I didn’t mean that. Please, Tsunayoshi, that was terrible of me.”

Tsuna wasn’t sure he believed Mukuro. He was tired. He just wanted to curl up in his bed and sleep with Reborn running his hands through his hair. Was that too much to ask?

“Tsunayoshi”, Mukuro purred. “Please say something. I’m beginning to worry.”

"You might still love me, but I can't love you anymore." Tsuna blurted out. He jerked away, scrambling off of the bed and away from Mukuro. His entire being shook as he felt Mukuro staring at him. It was a warm stare either. It was full of venom and contempt for what Tsuna just said and he knew it..

Mukuro got up slowly, cat-like, and stepped towards Tsuna. He ran his finger down Tsuna's side, making Tsuna hold back a shiver of fear and tears prick his eyes. "I don’t see how you can act so brave, then shiver like a scared dog the next.”

Tsuna didn’t say anything, looking up at Mukuro and just waiting for what was next. 

And he really should’ve seen it coming but Mukuro slapped him again. It didn’t help that it stung horribly. Tsuna clutched at his cheek, staring at the ground. He bit his lip, trying to keep his tears in his eyes, when Mukuro grabbed him by the hair and started pulling him somewhere. He didn’t know where but he was too scared to ask why as he just let himself keep being pulled.

Mukuro had dragged Tsuna into a room underneath the school pool. Under the pool it was more like a storage room, with old desks piled high, chairs pushed and scattered throughout the room, and odd things here and there. The heaviest thing in the room was a blackboard with iron legs. That’s where Mukuro handcuffed Tsuna too. It wasn’t the prettiest but Mukuro was not chancing Tsuna getting away from him. 

“Mukuro,  _ please _ ,” Tsuna tried to reason. “I-I’m sorry, I can’t love you anymore but this isn’t going to h-help.”

“It was never about your feelings, Tsuna.” Mukuro said evenly. He looked back at Tsuna from where he was near the door. “I never wanted to date you in the first place. Angelo has something important to me hostage and this was the only way.”

* * *

 

Reborn was the one in control of everything once everybody had gathered. He was cold and calculated as he talked an everybody was kind of afraid to talk. All except Giotto and Luce really.

“Would you mind telling us why we aren’t calling the police?” Giotto asked. He had a voice that meant business, driving the stiffness of everybody up as well.

“Luce knows why we aren’t so I don’t have to explain it to  _ you.”  _ Reborn said. He stared Giotto down before moving on. “If you want places to look, have a team start in the top floor and down then take another team going through the basement going up. There isn’t much Mukuro could do if he hurts Tsuna because he’d be weighed down. Mukuro could be in his dorm but check there last. There are a lot of small niches you can hide in when there’s a building this size.”

“And how are we going to get people?” Giotto asked.

“Tsuna’s friends are quite loyal. We can all split up in teams of four. I also have some people coming in to help out.” Reborn glanced up at the door, nodding to it to show who he meant. 

It was an impressive sight to see a bunch of teenagers look so intimidating as the Disciplinary Committee has. Everybody that went to Namimori middle school tried not to make eye contact with their leader, Hibari Kyoya. He seemed angry already at the amount of people in the room and glared heatedly at Reborn, waiting for instructions so he could leave.

“Just in time, Hibari.” Reborn said. He wasn’t bothered but his voice sounded less cold. “You’ll be with me, Hibari, but the rest of your team will be paired with others in this room. You can wait outside since you know your assignment.”

That was enough for Hibari as he gave a small huff before flouncing out of the room. He had a jacket balanced on his shoulders that flared out when he left, giving him a more impressive look, even though he was shorter than half his team. 

“How did you get him to listen to you so easily, Reborn?” Yamamoto asked in slight awe.

“He tried to fight me and I broke three ribs and sprained his shoulder.” Reborn didn’t let the comment linger as he moved on but everybody looked in mild fright at Reborn. If he could defeat Hibari, what had he fought before him?

“Gokudera and Yamamoto will pick two people from the Disciplinary Committee. Make it quick. Ryohei will take two Committee members. Bianchi, Haru, and Kyoko will take one member.” At the sudden protest from Ryohei, Reborn looked at him. “They can handle their own; don’t underestimate them.”

That seemed to stop the complaints and Giotto and Luce were told to make sure there were undercover squad cars around the building so nobody escaped. Everybody had grouped up and left, splitting up at different levels of the school. Reborn was the last to leave, calming himself down so he wouldn’t be caught off guard by anything. Reborn had told everybody that Hibari and him would take near the janitor’s closet and underneath the pool. Hibari wasn’t going to co-operate if there were too many people on the same level.

Luce waved him away as she was sitting by her secretary, making phone calls. She seemed nervous despite knowing Reborn’s history and how much worse everything’s been before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im so hyped to write reborn kicking mukuro's ass you dont understand


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> abuse/violence warning

It was dank and horrid smelling underneath the pool. Tsuna didn't like it. It reminded him of an old trunk his mom owned. When she died, he had to go through it with his dad and for some reason this musty smell reminded him of his mom the most. 

But there was nothing he could do to change it so he was stuck. He was handcuffed to a mouldy blackboard. It was heavy with broken wheels and thick legs. There was nothing Tsuna could do but lay down in as comfortable a position as he could and stare vacantly at the dust filled ceiling. 

The small door on the opposite wall opened and Tsuna flinched up against the wall the board was propped against. Mukuro laughed at the reaction and Tsuna felt his gut twist in anger and fear. 

"Hello, Tsunayoshi." Mukuro said pleasantly. 

Tsuna stared at the floor. There was no way he could say anything back. Whatever he _wanted_ to say was a moot point to Mukuro. And there was too much resentment and terror inside of him to be able to actually speak. His throat closed off hours ago. He had screamed and sobbed and ruined his throat even worse. 

Mukuro clucked his tongue but didn’t say anything. He was distracted by his phone ringing and walked to another end of the room. It wasn’t going to change anything as everything echoed in the room. Tsuna just huddled in on himself. He knew Mukuro was going to hurt him again somehow but he was tired. His head throbbed and his legs ached. He just wanted to go home. 

“-No, I won’t let him.” Mukuro snapped. His phone call seemed to be taking on a different turn. A dangerous edge creeped into his voice and Tsuna tried to hide into himself more. 

Tsuna had no clue how long he had been in here. First he was in Mukuro’s apartment then he was suddenly in the dankest, deepest corner of the school. There was just no winning in his life. He knew Mukuro had given him something to sleep because he didn't remember much that happened until he woke up a few hours ago. He guessed that was deliberate so he wouldn't know where he was. He knew this was underneath the pool but he had never been this far down in the building so he'd get lost if he did manage to escape.

The call ended and Mukuro was walking back over. Tsuna felt another rush of white hot anger as he watched Mukuro saunter closer. He would never understand what he even _liked_ about Mukuro. He was vindictive and hard to talk to and plain mean! He saw that now but he seemed to be swept up in how nice he was. It was one of the first times somebody had actually shown interest in him as a person.

Tsuna couldn’t help but let out a small laugh. He was so damaged.

His face was yanked up towards Mukuro, a hand gripping his hair. He kicked Tsuna swiftly into the ribs, making Tsuna double over wheezing. There was another kick to his back, making Tsuna pull against his restraints. Tsuna was crying in pain, letting out hoarse gasps of pain. Everything already hurt he didn’t need anything more. It was already his fault that this happened. He never stopped any of it so he probably deserved whatever he was getting.

Somebody opened the door, making Mukuro stop his onslaught. Tsuna slipped to the ground, resting his head against the cool concrete. His head hurt less when he was like this. He wasn’t going to pay attention to anything that happened but he did register something smacking against skin.

“Pathetic Herbivore.” Somebody growled. Tsuna was not comforted by that voice as he knew it was directed at him. Hibari was never the nicest to him since he was the reason the school’s average went down in middle school.

“Oho?” Mukuro chimed, interested. “What do we have here? A lone wolf fighting against their match?”

“You’re not my match. I see no carnivore.” Hibari was done talking and there were multiple clashes of skin against metal. Tsuna stared dazedly up at the furious contact of limbs and weapons. Hibari was never one to give in or lose easily but he was actually faltering, having punches barely graze him or the hilt of his own tonfas smacking his leg.

Tsuna felt nauseous watching the fighting from how fast it went. He looked up at the cieling and almost let out a relieved sob. He saw Reborn slowly slipping down the wall. He was wearing a ridiculous, all black suit but it helped him blend in to the shadow. He dropped down onto the balls of his feet and immediately hide behind a desk. Tsuna felt his insides flutter in the small hope of being able to leave but a wave of dizziness made him unable to pay attention to anything going on.

Mukuro was too busy with Hibari, both of them trying to best each other, to notice Reborn creeping through the darkness. When he got close enough, Reborn clamped a hand over Tsuna’s mouth. He held his finger to his lips, motioning for Tsuna to be quiet.

 _“No sudden movements_ ”, Reborn signed. When Tsuna nodded slowly, Reborn took his hand away and unlocked Tsuna’s restraints.

With no warning, Tsuna slumped forward. Reborn caught him before he hit anything and made noise. He propped Tsuna against a nearby desk. The only thing that was holding Tsuna up had been the handcuffs as he had gotten so weak and exhausted over the time he'd been kept there. Reborn picked up Tsuna’s arms, letting the sleeve fall down to check what damage was done.

“New skin grafts”, Reborn signed.

Tsuna let his head fall back against the leg of the desk. He needed to get new skin grafts on both his arms because the edges were starting to peel up. It could’ve been from the constant friction from being bound to the chalk board. Reborn rubbed his thumb gently over Tsuna’s knuckles to calm him down before moving on to prodding at Tsuna’s torso and near his legs.

Mukuro let out a triumphed laugh as Hibari fell. It looked like Mukuro had taken a cheap shot at Hibari’s still broken ribs, causing extreme pain to Hibari. Reborn just watched, knowing Hibari was going to be able to get up. Hibari worked off of pure spite so there was no getting him down easily. Especially if somebody in Namimori was getting hurt.

“You aren’t talking as tough now.” Mukuro said silkily. Tsuna hunched up underneath the desk at the tone and Reborn knew something was dangerous was going to happen soon.

Reborn sighed before creeping along the edge of the room. He kept his movements slow and never jerky as he crept along. Mukuro never paid any mind as he watched Hibari struggle up. At the last moment, Reborn skidded out and elbow Mukuro in the jaw, causing him to collapse momentarily.

Hibari glared at Reborn, stepping forward. “I had him.”

Reborn pressed his heel into Mukuro’s shoulder applying more and more pressure as he talked. “You seemed to be more dazed then alert. Don’t worry. I’m only here momentarily.”

Hibari didn’t falter and seemed to want to attack Reborn. Reborn narrowed his eyes and lifted his lip in a disinterested sneer and repeated, “Don’t worry, I’m only here momentarily.” 

Mukuro gasped as Reborn lifted his foot but it turned into a snarl as Reborn sent him skidding into desks that toppled on top of him. He stalked over and pulled Mukuro up before flinging him straight into Hibari’s waiting painful embrace as the two started whaling on Mukuro. He put up a fight, trying to get in punches and kicks but Reborn was better than that and gave a swift jab to the ribs, stomping onto Mukuro’s ankle, before finally letting Hibari give a finally hit to the base of Mukuro’s neck.

The entire time Reborn got a split lip from a lucky hit. He left Hibari to pick up the pieces as he crouched in front of Tsuna.

“Tsuna,” Reborn said. He was surprised at how soft it was and cleared his throat. “We have to move you now. Is there anything wrong with your neck or back?”

“I-I,” Tsuna leaned against Reborn, trying to make everything stop spinning. “I don’t know.” He finally managed.

“Does it hurt when you move your neck?”

“N-No, I’m fine. Can we just...go home?”

“This is important, Tsuna. Can you feel your legs? Move your toes and fingers if you can.” Tsuna did exactly that and could do it without pain. Reborn nodded, helping Tsuna stand up.

“I’m hungry,” Tsuna said quietly.

Reborn smiled as he moved Tsuna’s head slightly, making sure there wasn’t any bruising. Tsuna stood stock still, surprised.

“What?” Reborn demanded.

“Did you just...Did you just smile?” Tsuna asked hesitantly.

Immediately all humour was wiped from Reborn’s face but Tsuna still smiled brightly. He’d never seen Reborn smile so easily and it was a good look.

“We need to call Luce”, Reborn stated.

Hibari sniffed before stalking off ahead, opening the door and making sure the coast was clear. Reborn dragged Mukuro by his shirt collar as he helped Tsuna step forward. It was slow going as Tsuna was limping but they were able to clear the hallway. Hibari wasn’t nearly as patient so he was always waiting near the end of hallways.

The fact it was so slow to make it was because Tsuna refused to be carried so it gave Mukuro time to wake up. Reborn felt the extreme urge to sigh heavily as he felt Mukuro move and just pushed Tsuna off to the side when Mukuro tried to do anything.

“Give up, Mukuro.” Reborn said flatly. He knew it wouldn’t work but it was a warning for Tsuna to try and get away before Mukuro lashed out at him.

Mukuro’s swings were as Reborn dodged all of them easily. He was feebly trying to attack one more time. Just trying to get that one shot to knock Reborn out. It didn't work. Reborn was used to sparring with Fon, who had mastered multiple Martial Arts. Reborn calmly got underneath both Mukuro’s arms, grabbed him by the shirt, and quickly shook Mukuro before sharply headbutting Mukuro. It wasn’t the cleanest way to get him disoriented but it worked. Reborn wasn’t stopping as he used the flat of his foot to hit Mukuro’s knees, making him fall forward.

Mukuro wasn’t going down easily though as he launched himself at Reborn. The velocity took Reborn by surprise and they both went down. Reborn wasn’t dazed from the fall though and clasped a hand over Mukuro’s throat, rolling into the grip so Mukuro was flat against the tile, clawing at Reborn’s hand, trying to get out of the grip. He was only applying light pressure, enough for Mukuro to feel it, and stopped so he could hold Mukuro’s hands out of the way.

This was when the fight or flight reaction kicked in and Mukuro started getting desperate. He knew he was done for, Reborn was too skilled at combat to be beaten. But if there was at least something he could say that would distract him momentarily for him to get a shot in, that’d be enough.

The change was hard to take as Mukuro kicked his legs free and into Reborn’s sides. Reborn made a slight groan and let go to his own dismay. Mukuro grinned cockily at the release and rolled away.

“Too much for you, old man?” Mukuro asked.

Reborn smirked, rolling his shoulder. “I was about to ask the same thing.” He said.

Without warning Reborn jumped and wrapped his legs around Mukuro’s neck, putting all his weight against Mukuro’s neck and making sure his legs were wrapped together as they landed.

Reborn could’ve kept going but footsteps skidding quickly down the hall made him relent and keep his hold on Mukuro until he fainted. It was two of Hibari’s men that found them and they seemed shocked to see Reborn in that position.

“Make sure he’s bound when he wakes up.” Reborn uttered to the one closest. He let them take care of Mukuro as he stepped over to where Tsuna was glued to the wall, staring vacantly where the two had been fighting.

“Tsuna,” Reborn called. The jerk when his name was called made Reborn feel slightly worried. “What’s wrong.”

It wasn’t a question but Tsuna still didn’t have an answer. He just shrugged helplessly and stared at the floor. Reborn didn’t care. He could feel himself getting tired and wanted to have things wrapped up neatly so Tsuna could be _safe_.

Hibari seemed to be growing more impatient by the second so Reborn helped Tsuna walk along the hall, following Hibari’s diligent posts. Everybody was told to stay in their dorms so they passed nobody that wasn’t in their own group. There were sounds of scuffle somewhere above them and Reborn knew that wasn’t good. He was tempted to at least see who was attacking who.

But he resisted as Tsuna sagged more and more against Reborn. They were finally coming close to the first floor office Luce was still in and that was the end game where they all had to meet up.

“My job is done.” Hibari stated in his usual monotone. “I expect our fight to be good considering what you did today.” He swept off, pulling out a phone and making a call.

Luce met them at the door and hurriedly pulled the two of them inside, shutting and locking the door. She wouldn’t hear them talking and pushed them into the conference room. Police officers and a paramedic were inside the room. The paramedic rushed towards Tsuna and quickly started checking him over. The police wandered over to Reborn.

“Can you explain...What happened?” One police officer asked. 

“Can you get me Italian police?” Reborn countered. They seemed taken aback and seemed to want to argue before seeing Luce shaking her head. They stiffened but relented and moved on.

“What is the medical history to the boy over there?” One of the officers inquired.

“Trauma to his torso, bruising and most likely fractured ribs. No spinal injuries from what I can see but his asthma was triggered and he’s going to experience the effects of an attack or is already having one sometime soon. He has skin grafts on his wrists that also might need replacing as they started lifting up at the seams.”

The paramedic nodded and helped Tsuna sit down, asking questions quietly to Tsuna.

It was too light of a mood after Tsuna was safely put into the back of an ambulance. Reborn couldn’t help the suspicion that the ambulance could be the wrong people but he ignored it. That was always a vague fear he could never shake.

Luce seemed to worry enough for the both of them as she forced Reborn into the infirmary. He insisted that the nurse there wasn’t going to help.

“Fine, I’ll call your usual doctor.” Luce said determinedly. “I watch you fighting with Mukuro. You don’t show signs of pain unless it hurt. A lot.”

Reborn resisted the urge to retort sarcastically and just shrugged. “He hit my restriction. I’m in a bind, Mom.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was the best chapter 2 write out of all of them ngl i find comfort in having mukuro get his ass handed to him  
> ended on a goddamn pun. you guys will most likely get it later when i update it with the next five chapters but the fact its there


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> rape mention/discussion

Tsuna was given things to help him sleep so nobody could question him. Mukuro was being shuttled to a prison near Tokyo so there was no way they’d see each other. Reborn had to be taken to the hospital himself and given something to sleep. Nobody would answer why Reborn was in the hospital though so only Luce and him knew.

It was painstaking to wait for the two to wake up. Tsuna was put into a coma like state to sleep off and recover more, especially after what the police forced him to do before he was asleep.

Giotto and Iemitsu were in the hospital room every waking minute it was possible so when Tsuna woke up and saw them, he thought he was dreaming. Last time this had happened he had been completely alone, save a nurse that was faking a smile.

“Tsuna!” Giotto exclaimed, seeing his eyes open. “How do you feel?”

“F-Fine.” He muttered. It was hard to speak through the oxygen mask on his face. He pieced together he must have had an asthma attack at some point in time. “How are you?” Tsuna asked awkwardly, trying to make conversation.

Giotto laughed slightly, relaxing in his chair. Iemitsu was silent, staring at the ground in thought. Tsuna guessed they both knew what happened. Giotto was a police officer and also family so he was filled in with Iemitsu. Tsuna wished it was his choice to share it with them though; he could feel their awkwardness, trying to ask about it but not wanting to upset him.

“What was it like?” Iemitsu asked. Tsuna was taken aback and looked at him in confusion. He sighed, running a hand through his hair. “What Mukuro did; what was it like?”

“I-I’m not...It’s none of your business.” Tsuna said nervously. He felt his heart skip and looked away, back at the ceiling. “I’m s-sorry.”

“Running away from it isn’t going to help. We’re your family; we can help.” Iemitsu reached over to touch Tsuna’s hand but he jerked away.

Tsuna stared away from them. He knew they were angry and disappointed because they _were_ family by blood but when it mattered, they weren’t there. So Tsuna didn’t know why he had to share.

The door opened and everybody looked towards it. Reborn stood, leaning in, and looking unimpressed with what he saw. His face quickly became neutral again though and he stepped in farther.

“Tsuna needs calm. The nurses thought he was having another asthma attack, which could very well still happen.” Reborn jerked his chin towards the still open door. “I suggest you leave before it turns ugly.”

Iemitsu seemed to bluster, his chest puffing out as he stood facing off against Reborn. “He’s my son!” Iemitsu sounded scandalized but Reborn couldn’t bring himself to care.

“And you need to leave. Unless you want to get the police officers outside involved, I suggest you leave. _Quietly._ ”

Giotto saw where this was going and nodded, walking towards Reborn. He mumbled something to Reborn as he passed in Italian and it seemed to take Reborn back, his eyes widening in surprise before narrowing again. He gave a flippant nod before shutting the door on Iemitsu.

“Thank you”, Tsuna signed. Reborn gave an amused smirk as he sat in one of the vacated chairs. He seemed to sit down heavier than Tsuna would expect and narrowed his eyes in concern.

“I just woke up too.” Reborn said. “You were wondering why I seem tired.”

“How did you-?” Tsuna started to ask, forgetting to sing, but Reborn shook his head.

“Speaking will make your throat hurt worse. You won’t remember it but you were coughing heavily before they put you under.”

Tsuna made a small ‘oh’ in surprise. He hadn’t thought of that.

Reborn felt his phone vibrate and answered whoever was talking to him. Tsuna tried to shift into a more comfortable position and let out a small gasp of pain. He had forgotten he had been hurt. Reborn noticed and looked up curiously.

“What hurts?” Reborn signed. He seemed to barely be listening to whoever was on the phone, seeming unamused with what he was hearing. Tsuna didn't know what was being said but it didn't seem pleasant. 

“ _Everything_ .” Tsuna signed. “ _Sit with me?_ ”

Reborn shook his head but focused back on the conversation. He answered idly here and there but within a few minutes he was hanging up and carelessly tossing his phone onto a table next to Tsuna's bed. 

"You're not...Mad at me, are you?" Tsuna asked quietly.

"No, you’d know if I was mad at you. Now stop talking already.”

Tsuna didn't look convinced. Reborn leaned forward slightly and tapped Tsuna's forehead. "Why do you think I'd be mad at you?"

 _"You [seem] annoyed._ "

"I did just have to hear your father ask if Mukuro hurting you was something you enjoyed."

Tsuna flinched, staring back up at the ceiling. He regretted this conversation. He didn't want to understand anything that had happened or think about it. He hurt so much...he didn't need to hurt even more. He felt his eyes prick and burn but he couldn't take a deep breath as he chest flared in pain even more than usual.

"You're gonna have another asthma attack if you keep going like you are, Tsuna." Reborn said after a moment. Tsuna didn't look over but he knew that Reborn was staring at him carefully.

"I _deserve [it]_ ", Tsuna signed in response.

"Why's that? You have asthma because you saved two people's lives from a fire. You made a selfless act without a thought for your own wellbeing. Not many people would assume you deserved to suffer after hearing all that, idiot."

" _People [still] died]."_

 _"_ It's a natural part of life and was unavoidable. You did what you could regardless."

" _Stupid [of] me [to] think I [could] help, Mukuro."_  Tsuna signed after a moment of tense stillness. Reborn raised an eyebrow in curiousity but didn't try to retaliate to that comment. Tsuna seemed to think that everybody deserved help and would often disregard himself as endangered if it meant helping them. 

"I know there were people that used to call you dame-Tsuna," Reborn said, almost gently. "But I don't think you are. Now go to sleep. You're tired and I'm hungry so I'll be back later."

Reborn reached over and ruffled Tsuna's hair, his hand lingering a second too long. It helped Tsuna smile as he was a sucker for people playing with his hair. Nobody did because washing it more than once a week was more work then he could manage so it was a mess of grease and knots. But Reborn didn't seem to care as he sauntered out. 

It was a few hours later that Tsuna woke up again to the sound of Reborn’s phone ringing. He shifted in his sleep, sitting up in a sleepy, delirious state. Reborn looked up from his phone and almost snorted at Tsuna's face. Reborn gently tried to push Tsuna back down but, almost asleep again, Tsuna just pushed his face against Reborn's chest. He sighed in defeat and cradled Tsuna's head as he answered the phone.

“What do you want?” 

 _"Hey! There’s no need to be so rude."_ Colonnello’s sharp bark come out louder than needed and Reborn gritted in teeth in annoyance. “How’s Sawada?”

"He's fine. I'm with him right now. Is there a reason for your call?"

_"Chrome Dokuro seems to be missing from her hospital bed with only a note in code.”_

Reborn felt his throat clamp in fear but his voice was even as he spoke. "What’s the code used? Is it anything we’ve seen before?”

“ _Well, no. It’s to do with numbers. None of us are as…_ ” Colonnello broke off and Reborn’s eyes shined wickedly.

“As what, idiot?”

“ _As good in mathematics as you can be._ ” Colonnello griped. There were voices in the background, it sounded like somebody was laughing.

“What about it?”

“ _We need your help._ ”

Reborn smiled wickedly. “I can help you later. I’m busy. See what progress you can make before I get there.”

Reborn hung up before the protesting began and placed his phone on the bedside table. Tsuna had fallen asleep during the last bit of Reborn's phone call and was deadweight against Reborn's chest. He tried to move Tsuna away from his chest but Tsuna just grumbled and wrapped his hands around Reborn's shirt even tighter. Reborn felt his jaw work in annoyance as he slipped behind Tsuna on the bed and let him lay on top of his chest finally. Tsuna wasn't hooked up to as many wires as before, the nurses taking him off his pain medication and taking his oxygen mask. He didn't act like he was hurt though as he easily wrapped himself around Reborn, and slept throughout the night. 

 

* * *

The fallout to Tsuna's and Reborn's escapade spread quickly and everybody was talking about it. Gokudera and Yamamoto were hounded by people asking what happened in detail and if Tsuna was okay. It was quite a drastic change as Tsuna was usually the one left out of things.

When Tsuna was released a month later, after having to recover from a second skin graft on one of his wrists, everybody seemed to be determined to give him the hero’s welcome. It was weird to have so many people pay attention to him. The only attention he got was usually negative. Tsuna wouldn’t be surprised if this wore off by the end of the day though and didn’t expect much. He wasn’t very exciting in the first place.

Everything was too much work and the people greeting him everyday just made him feel worse. He was only getting the attention because of Mukuro. Getting up in the morning, eating, bathing; even breathing felt like a burden to him. But every morning Reborn _made_ him get up. Reborn _made_ him take a shower. Reborn _made_ him eat just a little bit more than he did the day before. Reborn made him feel like breathing another day.

And he had no idea the effect he had on Tsuna. All of the friends he had made that year were fantastic. But they didn't let him talk about his problems because of how they always shut down and became too concerned. They coddled him if he talked about his depression. They had to be convinced Tsuna was hurting from what Mukuro did. It was infuriating and Tsuna felt himself receding back into the shell he had built before he was put in this school.

Reborn was the only one that could ever approach Tsuna in the first place so it was no surprise when he sat down next to Tsuna, looking like he was about to say something.  

"You're being fake around your friends, Tsuna.”

Tsuna flinched at the bluntness of Reborn's statement. He didn't like this. He wasn't ready to have his life become harder. 

Tsuna struggled to say something. He wasn’t sure why exactly. He knew it was because they weren’t being the greatest friends at the moment. But there was nothing for him to really talk about in that area.  

“I don’t know why I do it”, He finally said.

Reborn stayed neutral but looked over at Tsuna. “Are you scared of something?”

Tsuna shook his head.

“Do you not want to be around them?”

Again, he shook his head.

“Do they say things that upset you?”

Tsuna hesitated and that was all the answer Reborn needed. “I know hiding it sounds easier, and it is, but if you want things to change and for them to be better friends, you have to open up to them.”

He was hesitant but Tsuna eventually nodded, leaning forward and resting his head against Reborn's shoulder. They were silent as they sat there. Reborn didn't say anything, knowing he didn't need to.

Soon enough, Tsuna disappeared to get ready for bed. When he walked back into the living room, he realized Reborn had fallen asleep on the couch. He looked peaceful from where Tsuna was. That was a stretch as Tsuna was never sure of somebody’s emotions from just their face. Mukuro had always been calm when he was extremely angry so he always felt wary.

He walked over and sat as silently and softly as he could next to Reborn. He hesitantly waved a hand in front of Reborn's open eyes before giving up. He was probably dead to the world anyways.

It was still creepy seeing Reborn sleep with his eyes open though. Tsuna couldn’t bear to watch him so he distracted himself looking at random things online. He was so absorbed into the things he was reading, he didn’t see Reborn wake up and shift sleepily so he was leaning against Tsuna.

Tsuna screeched in surprise and fumbled his phone, accidentally dropping it on the rug. Tsuna looked over and saw Reborn's lips twitch a little bit.

Tsuna shook his head and curled up underneath Reborn, getting as comfortable as possible. He didn’t mind being used as Reborn’s pillow as much as he thought he would.

"Hey, Reborn", Tsuna asked. Reborn looked up at Tsuna boredly. "What's your real name?"

“It's Latin. I'll tell you that." Reborn sounded nonchalant but his jaw had clenched momentarily. "…And 'Reborn' is what it means in English."

"Only problem is I suck at English…" Tsuna mumbled sourly.

"The problem is, is that you could be good at it but you don't apply yourself."

“...Why would I apply myself when it’s not like anything good will come from it.”

“You studied before and still got bad grades.” It wasn't a question but Tsuna still nodded.

“And mom said my dad would come back if I ever got 100. He didn’t even seem proud when I told him the one time he called that year.” Tsuna sounded so bitter that Reborn was almost in shock. He had never heard Tsuna use that tone.

“Who would you want to make proud if you tried?”

“You”, Tsuna said so quietly Reborn almost missed it.

Reborn changed the subject quickly, not wanting to dwell on that if it took so much effort to get Tsuna to say that much. “What is your dream job?”

“...To work with stars. But I heard it takes a lot of math to even be accepted into a college class.”

“What else then?”

Tsuna thought about it, staring at the ceiling idly as he thought before he said, “Somebody that helps with the mental illness part of health.”

"You want to be a therapist?" Reborn asked.

"Yeah! I want to help people."

Reborn nodded, leaning back as he looked at Tsuna. "I could see you doing that."

Tsuna lit up, smiling a little at Reborn in excitement. "Really?"

"A nurse is a hard job, remember. You hear about people’s problems, good and bad thoughts, what they go through daily, every single time you step into that office."

"Will it let me help people?"

"Yes, it will."

"Then I'm up for it."

Reborn felt his mouth twitch upwards. He sunk down a little on the couch and stretched out even more on top of Tsuna. Tsuna looked relieved and happy that he was allowed to be so close to Reborn and shifted closer. It was awkward to position himself because he wasn’t sure where he was allowed to put himself but Reborn solved that by shifting inbetween Tsuna’s legs and planting his face underneath Tsuna’s chin. Tsuna didn’t seem to mind the position, enjoying the warmth Reborn provided.

Eventually they had fallen asleep like that. They didn't even realize that they had fallen asleep until they woke up and the clock on the stove said it was one in the morning.

Reborn was the one to wake up first. He was groggy and slightly confused. Tsuna was deadweight against his chest that made it even harder to breathe. He shifted with a silent gasp, surprised at how much his chest was hurting. Tsuna was stirring so he couldn’t address it though.

"I'm guessing we fell asleep?" Tsuna asked as he rubbed his eyes with the heel of his hand. Reborn nodded as he slumped into the couch.

"Are you going to get up or am I going to have to drag you?"

"Carry me." Tsuna mumbled sleepily.

Reborn just scoffed and pushed Tsuna onto the floor.

"You can carry yourself." Reborn said as he shook the stiffness out of his shoulders.

"I'm staying here." Tsuna called. His voice was muffled from his face being on the floor.

"If I carry you, you’ll be sleeping my bed."

"You don’t have to if it’s too much work. I’m sorry I shouldn’t have suggested it.” Tsuna stood up abruptly and went to move passed Reborn, who rolled his eyes and heaved Tsuna onto his shoulder.

Tsuna let out a shrill shriek of surprise and clutched onto the back of Reborn’s shirt. It wasn’t a long time to be carried but it was still nerve wracking.

He felt himself being dumped onto Reborn's bed and couldn’t help the laughter that bubbled up as he felt himself bounce. Reborn smiled a little, quickly sucking into the bathroom to changed.

He threw something into his closet and closed it quickly, quick enough Tsuna couldn’t see what it was. He seemed to want to question it until Reborn rolled him over to lay down himself, distracting Tsuna as he tried to reposition himself comfortably.

“Did you figure out my name yet?” Reborn asked.

"Renati?" Tsuna said, not sure. He didn’t want to be wrong, usually people laughed at him when he was wrong.

"Nope.” Reborn said. “Try again later.”

Tsuna furrowed his eyebrows, trying to remember the second name he had come up with. He pulled his phone over to him from the bedside table and started looking through his history. He knew he read something that gave him a name.

He let out a soft, ‘a-ha’, of triumph before saying to Reborn, “Is it Renato?”

“Did you look through your history for ten minutes just to find that?”

"Well, I remembered reading this article and there’s a picture in it and it looks like you and Bianchi when you were kids but the person there is a girl so it can’t be you. It must be your sister or somebody.”

Reborn plucked Tsuna’s phone out of his hand, saying, “Let me see. It could be me.”

Reborn's breathing all but stopped, his heart jumping to his throat. He hated this. He shouldn’t be this affected. But he kept his face neutral as he got to the photo and laughed nonetheless and held out the phone for Tsuna to take again.

“No, Tsuna, that isn’t me. But that is my name.”

“Oh, really? I thought it looked close. I'm usually wrong, though.”

“You can call me that when we're alone." Reborn said as he adjusted himself so he could bury his face into Tsuna’s neck.

“Call you what?” Tsuna asked absently. Comprehension dawned a second later. “Oh! You don’t mind me calling you Renato?”

Reborn shook his head. He felt he could trust Tsuna enough not to say anything.

Tsuna seemed shocked, surprised Reborn was so open with telling him. He guessed there was a reason he used Reborn instead of Renato. He really wanted to ask why too; he held himself back though because he felt he knew more than anybody about what it was like having people harass you about your past.

Tsuna resigned himself to leaning his head on top of Reborn’s, being calmed by the feeling Reborn's breath on his neck as they laid together. Tsuna couldn’t help his smile as he realized how comfortable they were with each other. But the smile died a little as everything rushed back to him. The guilt, the insecurities, the _anger._ looked at nothing, trying to get to sleep.

"I don't think they even want to be my friends anymore." Tsuna mumbled. He wasn’t sure if it was to Reborn or not. His voice sounded louder in the deathly quiet room.

"Ask them.” Reborn mumbled. He was half asleep, trying to stay awake so he could let Tsuna talk himself out. "Now go to sleep; tired."

Tsuan relented, shifting so he could wrap his arms around Reborn’s neck. "Love you."

There was a heavy and awkward silence as Tsuna froze. He hadn’t meant to say that. It was true but Reborn might get weirded out by hearing the affirmation. Whenever he had said that to people he thought were friends in the past they laughed and called him mean things. Why he kept making the same mistake, he didn’t know. It’s not like anybody actually meant it if they said anything.

As Tsuna opened his mouth to apologize when he felt Reborn kiss his collarbone. They didn’t say anything else as Tsuna was too embarrassed at the entire situation, especially the fact he was so elated for Reborn to kiss him in such an intimate place.

He was glad it was so dark in their room as he wasn’t sure he could hide how red his face anyway else.


	18. Chapter 18

People were still talking about Tsuna and Mukuro as the weeks went on. It was surprising since most people got bored of the same few details being retold but the rumours were getting more and more outrageous from Reborn and his friends adding to them. Most believed the rumours which made it even better.

Somehow though the one rumour that was true was the most talked about: Tsuna and Reborn were dating.

A lot of people demanded to know if it was true but Reborn taught Tsuna some ways to divert the topic so they never got an answer. People scrambled to see if they could make Tsuna slip up and say they were or weren't dating. Some  went to Tsuna's friends; a couple went to Reborn himself. But all of them wouldn't say anything.

There was a very high amount of tension as people tried to get some good gossip because, damn it, nothing interesting really happened in Namimori! It was a small town so good gossip was few and far between.

In the middle of class, nearing the weekend, everybody was barely paying attention. People were chattering quietly while the teacher was showing them a video about space. Tsuna honestly couldn't remember why they were doing this other than because it was last class on a Friday. Some of the more diligent students paid attention but the rest talked in undertones to their friends.

Tsuna hadn’t joined in though. Gokudera and Yamamoto seemed to be talking to each other and Tsuna was only half listening. He didn’t quite remember what happened the entire day in his classes and he had later figured out that he was dissociating. He had been doing it more and more in classes. He had a vague idea it was because when he was sitting still it reminded him of the anxiety he got when he was kept in the same place with Mukuro. When he felt that same clawing, gut wrenching fear was the point he started dissociating.

Somebody tapped Tsuna’s shoulder, making him almost hit his head against the desk from how hard he jerked. Nobody paid attention to him as his teacher seemed too absorbed in the movie.

Tsuna turned around and saw Yamamoto and Gokudera behind him. Yamamoto had a grin on his face that made it obvious he was the one to tap Tsuna on the shoulder. Gokudera was scowling but it soon morphed a into worried stare at the look on Tsuna’s face.

“Hey Tsuna, we were just talking about how we were going to get ice cream after class”, Yamamoto said in a cheerful whisper. “Wanna come with?”

“N-No, I’m fine.” Tsuna said a little too quickly.

“We’ll bring you back something then.” Gokudera said, giving Tsuna a thumbs up.

Tsuna nodded with a hesitant smile. “T-Thank you, then. You don’t have to-”

“But we want to!” Yamamoto announced a little louder than necessary. There were multiple shushing sounds and Yamamoto laughed at Tsuna’s mortified flush. He ruffled Tsuna’s hair, lowering his voice. “It’s not a problem! Vanilla as usual?”

“Y-Yeah”, Tsuna peaked up at the two through his bangs with a brighter smile than usual. “Reborn said he would help me with my math and science homework; t-there’s no point postponing it anymore; have to catch up.”

His two friends gave each other looks and Tsuna caught the worry in it. It was the first time he mentioned anything having to do with Mukuro. It had been close to a month and nobody wanted to be the one to bring it up in the first place. It suited Tsuna just fine. There was nothing to talk about, he reasoned to himself. It had happened and Mukuro was going to go through the police system. Nobody believed him when he said he was fine but it was the truth.

When the bell rang, Tsuna was the first one out of the classroom. His two friends following him easily and keeping pace as the three talked.

"I say we should all go to the arcade!" Yamamoto proposed, looking enthusiastic just about the idea of going.

"It'll be crowded since it's the weekend so that's not the best idea, you know." Gokudera grumbled. He saw Tsuna’s face before backtracking. “But if we hurry, we could miss the crowd.”

“I thought you were going for ice cream?” Tsuna asked.

“You’re right!” Yamamoto announced. “We’ll go get ice cream after the arcade then.”

“I-I have to meet up with Reborn-” Tsuna started to mutter but he bumped into somebody weaving their way through the crowd.

“What about meeting me?” Reborn asked as he pulled Tsuna off to the side of the hall. The four stood near the corner of a corridor so they didn’t block the traffic as they filled Reborn in on the plans.

“But, of course, Tsuna wants to skip out on it.” Reborn amended. “We can study tomorrow, Tsuna. I was coming to find you anyways. I have a doctor’s appointment.” Reborn grimaced when he said ‘doctor’s appointment’ like it was a great inconvenience.

“So it’s settled then! Tsuna can go with us”, Yamamoto said, flinging an arm around Tsuna.

Reborn nodded. He started winding one of his curled sideburns around his finger casually. Tsuna narrowed his eyes; he had picked up that Reborn did that when he was stressed about something. It was a very rare occurrence he did it so it was easy to pick out. Tsuna opened his mouth to ask but Reborn turned steely eyes onto Tsuna, giving a slight shake of his head.

“You might want to drop your stuff off in somebody’s room. Tsuna’s is closest”, Gokudera spoke up. Yamamoto nodded sagely.

“See you, Reborn”, Yamamoto waved with a smile and Gokudera gave a slight nod. Tsuna tried to stay back to ask Reborn what was wrong but Reborn just signed, ‘ _Later’_ before sweeping off.

The two didn’t see each other for hours as Tsuna had left his phone in his bag accidentally. Tsuna was the only one to have Reborn’s private email so he didn’t want to ask his two friends to email Reborn. He didn’t regret leaving his phone though as it was the first time he had actually been with his friends in a long time.

Mukuro got too possessive so the times he did spend with them were filled with anxiety and fear. Tsuna was more than happy to realize that it wasn’t the case today as he was actually laughing more than he had in months.

By the time Tsuna got back, he was ready to go to sleep. He walked into his room and saw Reborn already on the bed though. That was all he needed to be more careful as he started trying to figure out a way to get into the bed without waking Reborn. He was ready to just sleep in Reborn’s bed until he saw Reborn open his eyes, gently lifting the blanket for Tsuna to slip under.

“You know I was awake the whole time?” Reborn asked as Tsuna settled underneath the blanket. Tsuna made a small noise as he felt Reborn wrap his arms around his waist, burying his face in Tsuna’s neck.

“Reborn?” Tsuna said hesitantly.

“Yes?” He asked. He sounded tired and Tsuna was tempted to just stop talking. “Tell me before I actually fall asleep, Tsuna.”

“U-Um, well, I was just _wondering_...Are we dating?”

“...That’s up to you.” Reborn said after a moment. He gently took Tsuna’s hand and smoothed his thumb over the knuckles. “I won’t be upset if you aren’t ready to date just yet. You have had your fair share with trauma and if dating isn’t easy right now, we can hold off on it.”

“I-I’m sorry, I don’t want to waste your time…” Tsuna mumbled thickly.

“You’re not wasting my time. I’m here to help you as much as I can.” Reborn shifted so he could pull Tsuna against his chest and peppered kisses down Tsuna’s face making him let out a low shriek of laughter.

“I’m sorry”, Tsuna said again.

Reborn didn’t say anything as he placed his chin on top of Tsuna’s head. He was quiet, almost like he was thinking, before saying, "If you aren't ready to date, we won't say we are then. We're something special."

“Oh...yeah, I like that. I-I don’t think I’m ready for a relationship like dating or-or anything.”

Reborn nodded, starting to run his hands through Tsuna’s hair. “That’s fine. And if you are later, we’ll talk about dating then.”

Tsuna smiled as he felt his eyes grow heavier. He fell asleep and for once, he stayed asleep.

* * *

 A lot of people liked to go and check up on Tsuna to see if he was doing okay. Most of the time, he was stopped in the halls so Tsuna was used to being stopped now. The only person he refused to talk to was Bianchi since she was...very passionate about the rumour that Tsuna and Reborn were dating.

Tsuna made his way as fast as he could manage up the stairs when he saw her looking into empty classrooms.  Bianchi was coming too close to him than he was comfortable with so he made the decision to disappear through the stairwell than wait for an elevator. He busted through the door and ran into his dorm, seeing Reborn reading something out of his math book before he fell over. He had tripped over his pant leg and the step in the floor.

"Are you having an asthma attack?" Reborn asked casually. He continued flipping to another page in his textbook.

"'m fine. Just ran up stairs." Tsuna panted. He dragged himself up from the floor and flopped onto the couch. Reborn lifted his arms so Tsuna could crawl closer to him and Tsuna flopped against Reborn's chest.

"Mind telling me why you're doing voluntary exercise?" Reborn asked, still reading.

"Bianchi was looking for me. Said something about a ‘love rival’. Got pushed into stairwell before she could see us."

Reborn felt his lip twitch in amusement. "Did she give you anything?”

“No, she was holding a plate of something. There was blue smoke coming from it though…”

“Don’t eat whatever she gives you. She did that whenever she thought I was dating anybody else. We were together so long she gets a little protective.”

“Can’t imagine why”, Tsuna mumbled.

“Why were you so late getting back here?"

"I was talking with Yamamoto and Gokudera. I-I asked if they even liked me.”

“And what did they say?”

“They seemed shocked I had to ask”, Tsuna admitted sheepishly. He sounded pleased though. “They reassured me that they wanted to be my friends still ‘nd that they cared about me.”

Reborn nodded, carding his fingers through Tsuna’s hair gently. He went back to reading. Tsuna wasn't exactly sure why he was reading a math book but Reborn _was_ a math nerd. Tsuna settled himself so he was lying comfortably against Reborn, feeling Reborn scratching lightly on his scalp.

The two were quiet as they laid there, Reborn reading and Tsuna dozing. After a while, Tsuna started shifting and becoming restless. Reborn looked down questioningly and gently shook Tsuna's shoulder.

For some reason, Tsuna felt absolutely terrified and screamed when he woke up, quickly shifting and moving so his back was to the other side of the couch. Reborn put the book down and held up his hands so Tsuna knew he had nothing to hurt him with but Tsuna still was wary. Mukuro had done that countless times before he hurt Tsuna with his hands.

A sob built up in Tsuna's throat, bursting out violently and making Tsuna shake. Reborn was quiet but offered his hand. Tsuna took it and sat there with his head buried in his knees.

"H-He did more than just hurt me." Tsuna said. His face was buried in his knees so his voice came out muffled.

"What do you mean, Tsuna?"

"M-Mukuro. He threatened everybody. He said he would kill you and Giotto and make me watch and then he would torture me to the brink of death before-before..." Tsuna started sobbing harder, his whole body shaking.

Reborn didn’t prod any further and shift closer. Tsuna gripped his hand and didn’t look up. 

“Have you ever gone something this traumatizing?" Tsuna asked without thinking. He wasn't sure where the question came from but he just needed to hear Reborn talk. His voice was calming for some reason and it would be something to focus on. 

"My full name's Renato _Sinclair_ , Tsuna."

Tsuna looked up in shock, his thoughts lingering on Mukuro disappearing. There was a huge news story about a kid named Renato Sinclair and how a conversion camp was a disguise for a despicable terrorist group; Tsuna forgot a lot of the story but he had seen it floating around. When the news had broken, it blew up from what the family had done, according to Renato. Tsuna forgot the majority of what happened but remembered it was bad. Renato managed to break free, having hurt the two people that had been set to watch him while the family left. The only witnesses were nearby hikers that had stopped to watch and saw Renato collapse in front of them on a trail. Renato was moved out of Italy to somewhere off the grid where nobody would know where he was. It helped that the news coverage only told the name of the kid and didn't share his face.

"W-What?” Tsuna didn't know what to say. He _really_ didn't know what to say. Was this a joke? A prank?

"I'm not joking.” He said firmly. He brought his phone out of his pocket and showed Tsuna a picture. It was of a child, looking about 12, with extremely long black hair and a small mark underneath their right eye. Tsuna looked up quickly at Reborn’s face and saw the same mark.

Tsuna clamped a hand over his mouth, looking at the picture.

“You were only-”

“13, I know.” Reborn sighed heavily, putting his phone back in his pocket. “I’m not allowed to bring it up but if you read any news article, you’ll find out what I told the police had happened.”

“I-I’d rather you tell me yourself wh-when you’re ready.” Tsuna muttered. He looked up at Reborn and gave a watery laugh. “We’re both a little messed up.”

Reborn smiled softly. “Yeah...Just a little bit.”

* * *

 That night, Tsuna started having nightmares again.

He had tried to insist that he wanted to sleep in his own room for once, that he wouldn't have nightmares anymore. Reborn didn’t believe him.

"You just broke down a few hours ago, Tsuna.” He said. “You can’t possibly think you’ll be fine.”

Tsuna crossed his arms tightly across his chest, looking at his feet. “I-I don’t want to bother you. Y-You said you have trouble sleeping with other people since they shift around a lot and-” Tsuna cut himself off, ending it with a shrug.

Reborn sighed, gently tilting Tsuna’s head up so they were looking at each other. “If you have a nightmare, don't try and stay in your room. Walk around. I’ll hear you at least.”

When Tsuna nodded breathlessly, Reborn walked off, shutting the door to his own room, and crawling into bed. Tsuna changed into his pyjamas as fast as possible and crawled into his own bed. He tried to make as little noise as possible, pushing his head underneath his pillow.

He had slept fine for the first few hours, which was a record for him. Usually he couldn’t sleep more than an hour before he kept waking up. But after a while his dreams took an odd turn. His first dream felt like any other with Reborn helping him ice skate with roller blades. He would never be caught dead telling him that but it was relaxing as Reborn smiled the entire time. But it changed to where Reborn was Mukuro and he fell through the ice into the small little room underneath the pool.

He woke up in a cold sweat and close to tears as he panted. His chest was tight and it was hard to breathe. Tsuna didn’t know what to do. He felt like he was having an asthma attack.

He groped around for his phone. He tried to unlock it but remembered he turned it off. Finally, he managed to text Reborn with, ‘meet me in the living room’. He heard the tone go off and a muttered word in Italian.

Tsuna gathered his blanket around him and got out of bed, walking down the hall, pausing at Reborn's door when he heard it open. Reborn didn’t say anything, just following Tsuna down the hall. The two slumped onto the couch and Tsuna gathered the blanket so Reborn was under it too. There was probably nothing good on TV but Reborn turned it on so there was a soft hum of voices.

Tsuna stared vacantly at the window at the end of the couch. Reborn was tracing random patterns into his skin as he waited for Tsuna to say anything. But he didn’t. He couldn't. Both of them sat in silence underneath the blanket. Tsuna had leaned back against Reborn and curled up into the fetal position against Reborn’s chest.

It got slowly lighter in the room but Tsuna kept himself stubbornly uncomfortable so he wouldn’t go back to sleep. He didn’t want to be forced to think about Mukuro. Reborn had fallen back asleep easily though. Tsuna didn’t mind; just his presence was enough to calm Tsuna slightly. And he got to see Reborn sleeping. It was a rare occasion that Tsuna was up longer than Reborn but Tsuna wouldn’t complain about it. It gave him an idea of how Reborn could look if he was relaxed and the small snores and calm breathing were more than enough to make Tsuna’s heart swell.

Reborn blinked awake two hours later. He shifted, ruffling his hair slightly. Tsuna moved, thinking Reborn needed to get up.

“Where are you going?” Reborn asked. His voice was deeper and Tsuna was almost shocked.

“I-I thought you needed to move.” Tsuna muttered. Reborn shrugged, getting up from the couch.

“Do you want tea, Tsuna?” He asked as he moved towards the kitchen. Tsuna leaned against the armrest, watching him through the hole in the wall.

“I’m fine”, Tsuna replied.

“Suit yourself.”

Tsuna let out a small snicker, stretching out a little more. Reborn came back with a mug and placed it on the coffee table in front of the couch. Tsuna waited for him to get comfortable before crawling back between his legs, balancing his head underneath Reborn’s chin.

“Did you just boil water?” Tsuna asked. He felt Reborn shake slightly as he let out a laugh.

"I like drinking hot water. I don't put anything in it but the heat helps me instead of drinking coffee. I used to drink it with my mom."

“Do you talk to her much?”

“Even if I could, I wouldn’t.”

“Oh”, Tsuna moved his head closer.

They sat in silence. Tsuna started falling asleep again but he kept moving slightly to wake himself up. Reborn let out a groan the seventh time it happened as he had almost fallen asleep.

“Tsuna, why do you keep moving?” He accused.

“Sorry, sorry I don’t mean to keep you up”, Tsuna said hurriedly. He started to sit up but Reborn shook his head.

“It’s fine. Why are you moving constantly?”

“I don’t want to go back to sleep…”

Reborn made a small noise and moved to run his hand to gently over Tsuna’s shoulder. “If it helps,” Reborn said, “I’ll be here when you wake up.”

He shrugged. He wasn’t sure if it helped. Knowing he’d be there was comforting. A lot of people had said they were there for him until he said something that hinted at him being upset. He wasn’t inclined to believe Reborn just yet from previous experiences.

Somehow, Reborn and Tsuna slept in till noon. The reason they got up though was there was knocking on their door. Tsuna made Reborn go answer it, curling up even more as Reborn pulled on a sweater and went to answer the door. Reborn was surprised to find Luce standing there, looking a little angry but more concerned.

"Why are you here?" He asked. Luce was usually busy during the day and called his siblings to her office so they could talk there. Rarely was it that she visited the dorms on her own.

"I'm here because I kept calling you to my office but you didn't come." Luce said, crossing her arms and looking imploringly at him. "Mind telling me why that is?"

"I was asleep with my phone on silent."

“Well”, Luce’s brisk tone melted slightly “Get dressed so we can talk in my office then. I’ll be waiting”

Reborn nodded wearily. He was still half asleep and was just glad he had a short window to wake up before going anywhere.

Tsuna had sprinted down back into his room when Reborn went to get the door, not wanting to be seen by anybody. Reborn looked into Tsuna's room as he passed, telling him where he was going.

“Alright”, Tsuna said through a groan as he stretched. “I’ll be here.”

“No, you won’t”, Reborn said. “I better come back to dishes in the sink from your breakfast and you dressed in different clothes.”

“What’ll happen if I’ve done none of that?” Tsuna asked suspiciously.

“You’ll find out.”

Reborn quickly threw on some pants and a pullover sweater before dry swallowing his medication. He was in the process of putting his shoes on when Tsuna wandered out.

“Make sure you brush your teeth”, Reborn said.

“Did _you_?” Tsuna retorted.

“Yes, I did. You were too out of it to remember.” Reborn stood and Tsuna gave him a hug before he turned away.

“You’re too tall”,

Reborn couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re too short. You’ll most likely grow soon. You’re dad and brother are both tall.”

Reborn ruffled Tsuna’s hair and they both pulled away. Tsuna looked embarrassed he had hugged Reborn but he was perfectly fine with it.

“There’s leftover pancake batter in the fridge if you want to make some”, Reborn said. “I know I taught you how to make them.”

“Whether I succeed is another question.”

“I’ll find out when I come back. I shouldn’t be long If I am, there's also rice and curry.”

Reborn left, pulling out his phone as he felt it vibrate. People were texting and emailing him as usual. His phone was almost never silent lately. Somehow, his phone number was told to most of the school, he had an idea as to who tipped people off, and he was forced to put his phone on silent during lessons and times he wanted to sleep. Tsuna never noticed as he was always absorbed in some sort of video game or asleep as well.

Luce was sitting at her desk, reading something. Reborn knew she was just waiting for him though as she immediately put the papers down.

“I just got a call from Sawada’s brother. He said that Mukuro is being let off on bail; somebody paid it in full.” Luce explained.

“Why isn’t Tsuna the one hearing this?” Reborn said sharply.

“Because it concerns you first. Do you know who Mukuro worked for?” Luce gripped her hands together, looking like she was trying to stay together. Reborn narrowed his eyes before shaking his head.

“I wasn’t aware he was _working_ for anybody.”

“Well, he worked for Angelo.” Luce paused, letting it sink in.

Reborn had gone very still. Angelo had been the people that had taken him under the guise of a conversion therapy camp. He sat up straighter, leaning forward. He thought they had all been killed off. He hadn’t even _thought_ that it was possible they still operated.

“Why have they suddenly resurfaced?” Reborn asked, looking up at Luce.

“I don’t know. The note left on Chrome’s bed you decoded has something to do with it. It said, ‘be prepared for the worst’ and Tsuna did say it was Mukuro’s writing. We think he was released through Angelo’s influence as they are a quickly rising mafia family. And before they could get to Chrome, Mukuro took her. This is just a theory but I’m telling you for two reasons: one) so you can inform Tsuna that he no longer has to testify and two) so you are prepared to leave Japan.”


	19. Chapter 19

When Reborn got back, Tsuna was trying to wash the dishes he had. Reborn graciously came in to help him with Tsuna drying them. Reborn hadn’t said a word besides a greeting though. Tsuna was getting more and more scared. Tsuna started to ask numerous times what was wrong but always lost his nerve. So he stayed quiet, letting Reborn stay in his own thoughts for a little bit.

“I’m fine, Tsuna”, Reborn said, turning to him as the sink drained. “No need to keep looking like I’m going to die.”

“You looked upset”, Tsuna said indignantly. “I was worried.”

“How cute, you worry about me.” Reborn said flatly. Tsuna looked at Reborn, trying to hold back a smile. It didn’t work and Tsuna looked away wryly. He stepped forward and put his arms around Tsuna’s neck, wiping his hands on the back of Tsuna’s shirt as they stood there.

“Reborn!” Tsuna screeched. 

Reborn laughed dancing away and walking into his room. He came back out with his school bag and pulled out books. He started copying something down and Tsuna was going to leave him to it when he was called back.

“We have to get some things later, after I tutor you of course, are you going to come with me?” He asked Tsuna.

“S-Sure. It looks like you’re doing something do you want me to..?” Tsuna trailed off lamely. Reborn shook his head.

“This is for you. I want you to do these problems for me, Tsuna. Show me where you are with this.”

Tsuna groaned, his shoulders slumping. “Can I just not do math?”

“You could but you still need to pass.”

So Tsuna endured two hours of doing math problems. He felt himself become more and more bored as it went on. The only thing that kept him was the threat of Reborn pranking him if he didn’t pay attention. Tsuna felt the two hours were a waste anyways since it wasn’t like he would remember any of this.

Finally, Reborn was gathering the paper scraps littering the table and he was telling Tsuna to go get ready as they were leaving soon. Tsuna had tripped in his haste to get his shoes and felt his face flame in his embarrassment.

“Don’t say anything!” Tsuna said shrilly. Reborn had a deliberately blank face but Tsuna could see his shoulders shaking in suppressed laughter. 

The two left, walking together down the hall. Tsuna was talking about what he did yesterday and Reborn listened silently. People stopped the two more and more, making Tsuna stop talking and almost hide behind Reborn. 

They had bought a box of tea, bread, instant coffee, and some jam since it was on sale and both of them really liked it. They had already had some bread with jam on it and had been debating which one of them could swan dive the best.

"Tsuna, you're the clumsiest person I've met in my life. You can't swan dive." Reborn said bluntly, looking at Tsuna blankly.

"I'm not arguing but I am offended you think that, Reborn. I happen to not be as clumsy as I was last year since I now know how to dodge out of the way of your stupid pranks."

"Yet you still can't run down a flight of stairs without  _ almost  _ falling."

"I see that I can't convince you of your otherwise wrong opinion so I'm going to stop trying right here." Tsuna shoved the rest of the bread he had into his mouth while staring Reborn straight in the eye. He seemed to choke a little and tried to shove the bread around his mouth so it wasn't clumped together.

"Why I chose to be seen with you, I don't know." Reborn muttered. He pushed the jam back into the plastic grocery bag and plopped it next to Tsuna, still trying to swallow the bread he had. Tsuna looked at Reborn disdainfully as he finally managed to swallow his bread clump, coughing a little as he tried.

"Because I'm the only fun person you know." Tsuna fell back onto the grass, looking at Reborn with a smile.

"That's not even close. You've met my mother."

"Yes but Ms. Luce isn't your friend, she's your mom. I'm the fun one out of the friend group.” Tsuna flicked some grass at Reborn. He swatted it away, ruffling his hair so the remaining blades and dirt fell on Tsuna; he screeched in surprise and rolled over. Tsuna sputtered, grass having got in his mouth.

"That's so gross, Reborn! Why would you do that?" Tsuna exclaimed. He had spit all of the grass out but he could still taste the dirt and betrayal in his mouth. Reborn was going to have cramps from snickering as hard as he was. "You are a five year old, Reborn."

"Good, I'd rather be five. I could dress how ever I wanted."

"You're wearing a shirt that I've seen my grandfather wear when I was four. You already dress however you want."

"Yet I could actually get Halloween costumes and wear them all the time, and nobody would look at me weird. They'd just think that it was a phase." Reborn sighed wistfully. Tsuna wasn't getting the excitement of dressing up in Halloween costumes but okay.

"Well Halloween's in like three months so they're probably going to bring that stuff out soon." Tsuna said. He snagged Reborn's sleeve and dragged Reborn over so he was sitting in the grass next to Tsuna. "What is your favourite holiday?"

"…I don't have one." Reborn said, thinking. "I don't really have a preference since I didn't really celebrate much when I was a kid."

"What did you celebrate when you were a kid then?"

"Not much, just Lent and Easter since my mom was religious. Christmas we were too poor to do so we just made special soup and had that. My mom thought Halloween was The Devil's birthday which was funny to listen to since that's not even close to what it is but she wouldn't listen. Around Lent we had pancakes which was fun but then I had to pick something to give up, it was always sugar since that's the thing my mom wasn't great at providing and my dad was disabled."

"I think that's the most you've ever told me about yourself." Tsuna said in awe.

"That's the most you're going to get." Reborn said. He closed his eyes and stopped talking, just laying in the grass peacefully.

Tsuna sighed a little, rolling a little so he could see Reborn. He was glad they were in a field behind an abandoned kids park because he didn't like being in public. Reborn had told him a trick to walking in a crowd but it was still stressful. Reborn thankfully understood though and showed him this field.

"I came here all the time when we moved here." He had said. "It was peaceful and nobody knew where it was but Mom. So if she ever needed me and couldn't find me, she knew I was stressed out and came here."

The field itself was small but there were trees around it so it was also closed in and private. So Tsuna didn't have to worry about people looking at him weird when he rolled over onto Reborn.

"What the-Tsuna, why?" Reborn asked.

He shrugged, nuzzling his face into Reborn's neck, making Reborn sigh in mild annoyance.

"What's your favourite colour?" Reborn asked, breaking the small silence they had. Tsuna thought about it, making a small noise in frustration.

"I don't know. I like orange a lot but I also like green. I'm gonna go with green because it's really calming for me. What's yours?"

"If I had to pick it would be purple."

"Why?"

"It's a colour that's-I don't have to tell you." Reborn shifted a little and Tsuna snorted, immediately regretting it because Reborn picked up on it and asked, "And what was that sound for?"

"N-No reason." Tsuna said. Reborn wasn't buying it as he shifted again and Tsuna laughed again, swearing a little bit because of it. "Alright, when you move grass rubs against my side because my shirt is hiked up and I don't want to pull it down again."

"You need to stop being so lazy, Tsuna. You're going to have heart problems before you're 20."

Tsuna stuck his tongue out at Reborn before settling, feeling Reborn bring his arms up and resting them over Tsuna's mid-back. They laid like that for a while, just being close to each other like this was enough for both of them. Both of them weren't much for extravagant dates and the fact that both of them were happy like this was what made the day perfect.

Somebody walking down the path had the two looking over, there was a tiny, overt opening directly across from where the two were lying in the middle of the field and the dried leaves scattering it made it hard to walk quietly. Luce seemed a little embarrassed by the fact that she was discovered so easily but coughed a little, clearing her throat to try and disperse her embarrassment.

"Reborn, you need to come back to the school. I have to start an assembly for the school." Luce said. She seemed to be vibrating in excitement a little, looking at Tsuna lying on top of Reborn like he was, and she glowed with happiness.

"That's not for another hour, Mom. Why are you getting us now?" Reborn asked. He didn't open his eyes and continued to lay with Tsuna on top of him, not bothered to move.

"Because I know that you're going to wait to the last possible minute before even  _ moving. _ So come on, let's go." Luce crossed her arms, looking sternly at the two. Tsuna rolled away from Reborn, feeling embarrassed, but Reborn stayed where he was, looking a little dazed.

Tsuna poked Reborn in the side, making him jerk away a little in surprise. "Come on, you have to move. Your mom looks scary like that." Tsuna kept his head down but he was sneaking glances to make sure that Luce wasn't moving near them.

"Yeah…Don't worry I'm moving."

Reborn got up, looking like he would fall over any second, and sat there for a second, trying to collect himself. Tsuna looked worried, wanting to ask what was wrong when Luce seemed to huff and turn around, walking off back down the trail. That was what made Tsuna continue poking Reborn to get him up.

"Are you…okay?" Tsuna asked. He wasn't sure if he was going to get an answer from how off Reborn looked but it was worth a shot.

"No…No, I have this thing that happens. I don't know…why it happens." Reborn said. His words were slower and more slurred then they would normally be and that concerned Tsuna. Reborn would never be caught dead talking slow because it was undignifying.

"What happens?" Tsuna prodded.

"Well…From my Bipolar II Disorder, I have this thing. The best I can explain it is that it's like when you have an MP3 on shuffle. There's little snippets of…of different things. It doesn't…matter what it is, it gets crammed into my head and it's all I can focus on…It doesn't even complete what the thought is most of the time either. I could be thinking of how I like a colour more…than the other and then I am thinking of a hit song I heard three years ago. There's no…Rhyme or reason to any of it. It just happens. I can focus great usually but…when this happens I can't."

Luce was waiting for them near the opening. Her annoyed expression soon turned into motherly worry though as she noticed how lost Reborn was. She uncrossed her arms and walked closer but stopped short.

"Is he okay?" Luce asked, turning to Tsuna.

"He says he has this…thing happening where he can't focus." Tsuna furrowed his eyebrows in thought. "It's from his Bipolar II Disorder but I've never heard of this happening before."

"Wait, you know?" Luce asked, looking at Reborn in confusion.

"I told him. Found my pills. Saw no reason to lie." Reborn shrugged. He gently grabbed onto Tsuna's sleeve to steady himself and Tsuna removed his hand in favour of holding it.

Luce sighed, nodding. "Alright, well, how bad is it this time?"

"…I can concentrate but not very well."

She nodded, seeming satisfied, and started walking. Tsuna followed, pulling gently on Reborn's hand to get him to walk. It wasn't like he was completely out of it but he was disoriented a little bit.

The walk back to the school was much slower then it was to get there. Reborn kept stopping, looking like he was trying to do something but wasn't sure what. Tsuna was the only thing that kept him plunging along. Luce had ran ahead to make sure the last minute details were good. Since it was close to 6, the student body was easy to get into the auditorium and gathered. A lot of people only went for day visits, not liking to stay for more then a few hours in their household. So when they walked into the auditorium, they were the last few people trickling in.

Tsuna and Reborn found seats near the back, sitting next to Yamamoto. He smiled easily at them but noticed Reborn's face and looked at Reborn in confusion. Tsuna just shook his head, not willing to talk about it since it wasn't his place to say anything.

Luce had rushed to the front, fixing her dress, her stomach bulging more and more so it was hard to hide she was pregnant by now. But she was still up and moving as well as she was a few months before she got bigger so she saw no reason to take maternity leave.

Everybody was focussed to the front, not used to being called for an assembly that wasn't on a school day. Every student and the student's guardian had gotten an email about the assembly so most of the students attended, making sure to emphasize how important it was. So they were going to pay attention if it was this important.

When the doors were closed by the teachers standing near the back, Luce cleared her throat, blowing out a breath and started talking. The assembly took over an hour to complete. Luce had shown them a video about how suicide and depression worked, Tsuna had to agree it was pretty accurate, and then she made a final remark, talking about how it was important to be there for each other, blah, blah, blah. Tsuna had stopped listening because Reborn was trying to get his attention on something and he would rather listen to Reborn then hear things he had heard millions of times by now.

"What is it?" Tsuna muttered under his breath to Reborn.

"We forgot to bring the grocery bag with us." Reborn whispered back.

Tsuna snorted, leaning closer to Reborn when one of the teachers leaning against the wall started giving him the stink-eye. "We can go back for it. It won't be dark until around eight anyways."

"We aren't allowed outside after 6:30, Tsuna."

"We'll sneak out all night then."

"How will we get back in?"

Tsuna shrugged, leaning his head on Reborn's shoulder. "We'll figure it out. But look we can leave now!"

Reborn shrugged, standing up listlessly, like there was no emotion in him at all. Tsuna was a little worried about that because he had been like that before, hoping Reborn was feeling at least a little bit better then he had been feeling before the assembly.

Everybody had filed out in a thick stream, making it easy to go unnoticed by the crowd. Tsuna and Reborn were able to slip into their dorm easily, nobody even noticing how off Reborn was. It was nice because Reborn was usually stopped by people in the hall, some wanting to just talk, some needing help on a math problem, some just stopping him then running off because they were going to try asking him out.

Reborn had flopped onto the couch the minute they were in their dorm. He didn't really say much, other then a small 'finally' as he was out of the small rush of people going to their own dorms. Tsuna smiled a little, following Reborn a little and sitting on the floor next to Reborn's head.

"What are you doing, Tsuna?" Reborn asked. He sounded tired just by talking and Tsuna was tempted to get Reborn to his room to sleep.

"I don't know what you mean, Renato." Tsuna mumbled. He liked Reborn's real name and wanted to use it as much as he could when he was still allowed.

"You're staring at me." He said. He smirked a little, looking like the old Renato Tsuna was used to.

Tsuna shrugged, leaning his cheek against the cushion he was propped up against. Renato scoffed, feeling Tsuna take his hand.

"Are you okay?" Tsuna asked suddenly.

Renato wasn't sure. Today was fun but when he suddenly had his thoughts racing and blurring together, it threw a wrench into his good mood. He wasn't feeling bad or annoyed, really, he just felt irritable; which was never a good sign for him so he just shrugged at Tsuna. Tsuna made a small noise, something that was probably out of annoyance, but Reborn didn't really care right now. He was too tired to think about much.

"You sleeping in my room?" Renato asked, slowly sitting up. Tsuna nodded, looking a little unsure about it. "It's not going to bother me, Tsuna. It's okay."

"A-Are you sure? I mean we're always sleeping in the same bed and I just thought that you would want some space after what happened today."

"No, giving me space is something you don't do after this happens. You have to make sure I'm still functioning."

Tsuna smiled a little, nodding. Renato pulled on his cheek a little, walking off to his room. He didn't bother getting undressed fully; he just took off his shirt, put on a sweater, and crawled into bed. Tsuna joined in something similar but he had pyjama pants on. Tsuna shuffled in, looking a little nervous about this, like he did every night. Renato just opened his arms a little, signalling that it was okay for Tsuna to come to bed.

He took the offer, hesitantly wrapping his arms around Renato's chest. Renato hugged him back, seeming relieved that this was happening; knowing that at least something was real in his life.

"You're a really good person, you know that right?" Tsuna mumbled. He felt his face get really hot after saying that, feeling embarrassed to have mentioned it.

"…Thanks. You are also the best thing that's ever happened to me." Renato mumbled. He was half asleep, not really sure what was happening. But he knew it was something he needed to hear.

It was only seven when the two had fallen asleep so they were both up at close to six. Both of them were not happy about it since that was not something they planned and there was nothing they could do at six in the morning. Most people weren't even moving at this time.

Renato had other idea though.

"Let's go for a run." He said. Tsuna looked at him, not saying anything, just looking from his spot at the table. Renato stared back, dead serious. "You can't exactly run so we'll go for a really long walk."

"Why?" Tsuna asked. 

"Exercise will help you."

"How? How will it help me?"

"You'll feel better afterwards. You won't feel so much like a walking corpse today. It's something to do rather than sit in here for another three hours."

Tsuna groaned again but got up, dragging himself to his room to get dressed. He wasn’t going to back down easily so Tsuna just went along with it. Who knows, if he started having an asthma attack he’d get to miss out on school.

Renato was ready before Tsuna had even managed to get his shirt off. Tsuna walked back out looking unhappy and with a similar outfit to Renato’s of sweatshirts and loose pants.

"Oh look, we match." Renato commented, making Tsuna flush in annoyance and embarrassment. "Well, you aren't going to get any healthier glaring at me are you? Come on already."

"Why are you making me do this? Nobody even really moves at this hour, why are we the ones to break the status quo?"

"Because the status quo is boring and a terrible song. So stop complaining and walk, idiot."

Tsuna stuck his tongue out at Renato, feeling annoyed. But he would rather do little things like this with Renato then have them forced to go on a date like having dinner together at a restaurant. Tsuna hated doing that and Renato shared his views so just doing things together was better.

"Hey, Renato." Tsuna said, turning to him. "What was the sudden push to do some activity?"

"It's better for me to keep moving when I move out of Hypomania stages." Renato mumbled, not really wanting to talk about it just yet. Tsuna nodded a little, hesitantly looping his pinky around Renato's as they continued to walk.

The morning was just starting to come alive as the two walked. Birds started screaming as the sun rose higher in the sky, small bugs and insects starting chilling out with their bug sounds but even more bug sounds replaced theirs so the orchestra wasn't disrupted. They were currently walking down a small path by the river, just walking. They were silent, just enjoying the morning coming alive before them as they enjoyed being next to each other.

Renato let go of Tsuna's pinky, instead entwining their fingers together. Tsuna smiled, looking at Reborn out of the corner of his eye. He felt like he was twelve again, blushing at the slightest hint of somebody being nice to him.

"You look like you're nine, Tsuna." Renato said.

"Wow, like that's something you say in public. People are going to talk Renato." Tsuna said, mocking offence.

"Let them talk then." Renato shrugged. "I'm used to people talking about me behind my back. Happened all the time when I was going through the process of being diagnosed. Luce didn't think I knew."

"My parents did that too. My mom was always talking on the phone with my dad when I started getting symptoms of depression."

"I thought it only happened after the fire?"

"No, it was a long time coming. People bullied me a lot because I'm not that smart. I also didn't really want to even try since everybody told me that so it was just a vicious circle. Some of my old teachers handed back tests from the highest grade to the lowest. I was always the last kid to get the test; a couple times I was second last, only because Yamamoto was in my class though. He's lucky he has Gokudera to tutor him because now he's not doing as bad."

Renato snorted. "That would explain a lot. Didn't you try to get a tutor?"

"Nah, I didn't really care. Everybody told me I wasn't going to do much anyways since my grades had been bad for a while so why try? I'd like to start trying again now though."

"You weren't going to get off easy in the first place, Tsuna. You have me as a tutor, and I don't half-ass a job."

Tsuna laughed, nodding. "Yeah, I guessed as much. The first time I saw you, you were doing  _ push-ups. _ I don't think you're one to mess around."

"I was only doing push-ups because somebody bet me that I couldn't do 100 in a row. I was practising."

"Wait, wait, wait, you made a bet you couldn't? Was it Colonnello?"

"Is it really that obvious who it was?"

"Yes, very."

Renato snickered, looking out over the water next to them. He tightened his grip on Tsuna's hand and snapped his head forward. He picked up the pace of his walking, Tsuna groaning as he was pulled along. He thought it was only a leisurely stroll but now Renato's kicking it back into gear.

An hour into their walk, Tsuna finally got Reborn to turn around, guiding them back. People were starting to mill about now. School was starting for some schools near the town, people going to do chores earlier so they weren't caught in a rush, people getting to work for the day. The town was slowly becoming more than just insect sounds as the sun warmed the grass and roads, making it just hot enough you wouldn't need a sweater but it was cold enough that you needed something to cover your arms.

Tsuna and Renato made it back to the school around seven-thirty, Tsuna almost collapsing in the doorway, much to Rebnato's amusement.

"You could've told me you were tired, Tsuna." Renato said, taking his shoes off and throwing them into the corner of the small mud-room.

"I tried! You kept pushing me to keep going!" Tsuna exclaimed. He sniffed, slowly getting his light panting back under control. "I thought you of all people would let me go back."

"Nope, you quit too easily. I wanted to push you so you felt some fulfilment today. And, aren’t you also going out with Yamamoto and Gokudera today?"

"If I could, I would scream." Tsuna said bluntly. He got up, pushing his shoes off as he did, and flopped onto the couch, slouching into it.

Renato rolled his eyes at Tsuna. He sat beside Tsuna, laughing a little when Tsuna used his lap as a pillow the minute Renato got comfortable. They stayed like that, the two of them feeling gross from how they were kind of sweating but not enough that it was noticeable. Tsuna wasn't really bothered by it, just not wanting to move since he was comfortable.

After a bit, Tsuna started dozing, not really sleeping but not really awake either. Renato noticed it, smirking when Tsuna started actually sleeping. Renato waited until Tsuna was comfortable before slowly pushing Tsuna's body further and further to the edge of the couch. He made sure to throw down all the pillows he could reach though since he didn't want Tsuna to get hurt when he was pushed onto the floor.

It was nice because Tsuna went face first into a pillow.

He screeched, shooting up into a sitting position and looking around in alarm. Renato was laughing and snorting too hard to say anything and Tsuna wasn't quite sure what had happened for a moment until he clued in that he was on the floor.

"Renato", Tsuna whined. "Why did you do that?"

"Because it was funny."

Tsuna scrunched up his nose, throwing a small pillow at Renato's face. "That kind of hurt. At least you thought enough about me to put pillows down.” He crawled back onto the couch again and straddled Renato's thighs and gently cupping Renato's face in his hands. "You look really…really pretty when you laugh."

For the first time Tsuna could remember, Renato seemed to blush. That was a score for two things Tsuna learned about Renato. He smiled a little, one of his hands came up and he ran his thumb along Tsuna's knuckles.

“Are you okay?” Tsuna asked in alarm.

“Of course I’m fine.” Renato said, snapping back to his blank faced exterior. “Why?”

“Y-You’ve never been this expressive before.” Tsuna dropped his eyes; trying to hide his face. “W-When you’re close is when you’re sick.”

Renato smiled crookedly and leaned his temple on top of Tsuna’s shoulder. "Recently, I’ve found, that I’m more comfortable around you than most people. Now get off of me and go have a shower, you are still going out with your friends."

Tsuna groaned and flopped against Renato, snaking his arms loosely around Renato's neck. "I don't want to. You're not going to be there."

"I'm not going to be there for a lot of things, Love. Now get going."

"Wait, did you just call me 'Love'?"

"Yes I did, now get going already."

Tsuna whined again, shifting so he was closer to Renato, making him harder to shake off. Renato seemed to sigh a little, softly rubbing a spot on Tsuna's back. It was almost eight-thirty now and Tsuna had yet to move off of Renato, just sitting on top of him. Renato didn't mind in the least since it was nice sitting with Tsuna like this. Tsuna pecked underneath Reborn’s jaw, 

It wasn't exactly weird between the two but Tsuna was incredibly embarrassed. He had kissed Reborn and he didn't even mean to. He just did that if he really liked a person. He just rolled with it and kissed them. The minute he realized what he did he jumped back, apologizing profusely. Reborn didn't even flinch as he gently took Tsuna's hand and pulled him back so Tsuna was sitting beside him.

"You act like I'm going to be mad over a small thing that a lot of couples do, Tsuna. I'm not mad you did that." Reborn explained. He leaned his head on Tsuna's and felt Tsuna scoot closer.

"Are you sure it's fine?" Tsuna mumbled.

"I'm sure, Love. You don't have to act like every little thing is something you did wrong. "

"That's a little hard since I just feel like I need to, you know?"

"Yeah, I know." Reborn felt Tsuna shift and wrap himself around Reborn, having a vice grip on Reborn's shirt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now I myself don't have Bipolar I/II Disorder, nor do I know anybody that does so if anything seems off please, please tell me. I'm mainly going off of what I can find about Bipolar II since that's what Reborn has in this story and if it looks wrong in anyway, don't be afraid to tell me so I can fix it.
> 
> Anyways, as always, I love hearing from you guys so don't be afraid to leave a review please!


	20. Chapter 20

Ryohei, Yamamoto, and Gokudera, Kyoko, Haru, and Bianchi were all piling into the room. Tsuna had gotten such a shock from the door opening he toppled backwards. The group was all chattering excitedly, trying to get Tsuna to say something more about what was happening but Tsuna felt even more embarrassed.

"Why do you people feel the need to barge in!" Tsuna demanded. 

Yamamoto laughed easily, saying, "It was unlocked."

"Just because it's unlocked doesn't mean you can just come in…" Tsuna grumbled. 

They weren’t really listening though so he sighed in defeat. He was readying himself for the onslaught of questions to come. He was so focused on what he was going to say that when he tried to actually get up he just face planted onto the floor. 

"So are we going to the arcade or what?" Ryohei said, seeming to vibrate as he tried to stay still. Kyoko eyed him but didn’t say anything.

“I-I need to have a shower.” Tsuna said quietly.

"Didn't seem like you were trying very hard to get away from Reborn." Bianchi muttered.

"W-Well, you see, is he was trying to stop me from getting up and-"

"You just didn't want to get up."Reborn said.

"Because you forced me to get up early to do exercise. Why would I want to do that first thing in the morning?"

"It helps with a lot of things. Like not being lazy later in life."

Tsuna muttered under his breath as he walked down the hall. He was out of earshot but he wasn’t so sure Reborn didn’t hear him. Tsuna had looked back and saw something mischievous in Reborn’s eye. 

Tsuna had left and was gone for a majority of the day, leaving Reborn to do whatever he wished. He didn't do much to begin with since he despised being out in public unless he wanted to be. He sat in the dinning room doing the rest of his homework he was assigned. 

He had been taking online courses for his education and somehow was in a university level one too. The work wasn’t hard once he was told what to do. People were scrambling to get him into their university as he had letters from all over in his mom’s office. Every time they brought in mail, there were more letters for him. There were some for his siblings but most were for him. He loved to bring that fact up whenever his siblings were trying to prove they were better than him.

But he couldn’t focus as well. His work was correct, he knew it was, but it took longer than it should have. He pushed his hair out of his face and realized he had a high fever. He let out a small curse before heaving himself up. He was finished his work and gathered it hastily into a pile. When he had stood, it felt like knives were being poked and prodded into his abdomen, his gut twisting. 

There was a knock at his door and he asked, “Who is it?”

“Fon,” Was the reply.

Reborn felt his annoyance surge as he opened the door. Fon stood there, smiling slightly in his traditional Chinese garb. Reborn motioned for him to walk in before 

"Did you take your medication, Reborn?" Fon asked the minute he walked in.

"It's too late to take it now." Reborn mumbled.

"It's barely noon."

"I have to take it within two hours of waking up and I've been up for almost six hours now."

"I presume you went to bed early then?" Fon asked, puzzled. He walked over to the bed, sitting down carefully as to not shake the bed. Reborn watched him the entire time, almost glaring at Fon.

"Yes; don't know why you're even here, Fon." Reborn shoved his face back into the pillow so he didn't have to look at Fon.

"Because you probably haven't had anything to eat today, you look terrible, and you're looking sad. I'm just here to help."

"I  _ never  _ look terrible”, Reborn said flatly. 

Fon shook his head, leaving the room quietly, coming back ten minutes later. He padded into the room and stopping near the door, glancing curiously at the bed to make sure he wouldn't be attacked if he started talking. Reborn looked over, not having moved an inch from his spot, waiting for Fon to say something.

"I made you something to eat but you have to come and get it yourself." Fon said finally.

"Why are you trying to take care of me?" Reborn grumbled. The prospect of food was the only thing that made him move from his spot, slowly sitting up and grimacing. "What did you make?"

Fon smiled, letting out an airy laugh. "You really do like food. I made some rice balls since you seem to like them."

"And it's the only thing you can make."

Fon let out another laugh, nodding along as it was true. Reborn stood up and mumbled a string of curses with varying degrees of intensity, making Fon stare at him questioningly, his eyebrows furrowing.

"Are you on-" Fon started to ask but Reborn cut him off with a snarled, "Yes".

"Oh…Do you want me to get you anything?" Fon asked, trying to cover the moment of awkward and tense silence that followed.

Reborn didn't answer as he walked passed, clutching his shirt, and staring ahead with determination. Fon followed at a slower pace, shooting worried looks at the back of Reborn's head.

Fon spent the rest of the day with Reborn, Reborn half listening to Fon talk as they watched bad reality TV. At one point, Reborn was asleep leaning against Fon.

When Tsuna came home, Tsuna was amazed at how still FonFon was able to be as Reborn was using his arm as a pillow. He didn't even register that Fon was speaking to him until he was looking expectantly at Tsuna.

"Oh, um, hello." Tsuna muttered awkwardly, not sure what else to do.

Fon smiled politely and motioned for Tsuna to come closer. Tsuna edged closer, not sure if he was going to get hit because Mukuro used to do that and thought it was funny because he always managed to get one of Tsuna's scars that was barely healed.

"Please, come closer so I do not have to speak louder." Fon said. He sounded calm.Tsuna sat stiffly on the coffee table in front of the couch. Fon smiled ever warmer and continued. "Reborn is very tired and fell asleep while I was talking to him. I don't know if I'll be able to move to leave so please bear with my intrusion."

"I-It's fine!" Tsuna whispered, waving his hands. "Please make yourself at home. Would you like anything to drink?"

"Whatever you can spare."

And so, for the next hour, Tsuna found himself oddly at ease as he and Fon talked quietly to each other. Fon had an air of calm that helped ease Tsuna and he found himself opening up a little more to Fon.

Reborn woke up suddenly while the two were talking and, without saying anything, whisked off down the hall. Tsuna looked at Fon in confusion who just shrugged.

"Thank you for the tea." Fon said. He got up, stretching, and bowed politely to Tsuna, who bowed back. Fon smiled and gently padded towards the door with Tsuna trailing along absently. "Oh, Tsuna, make sure you don't leave Reborn alone for very long.” Fon said suddenly, turning back to Tsuna.

Tsuna, taken aback by the abruptness of it, nodded dimly. "Yeah, why?"

"He'll most likely tell you in good time. Just let him tell you when he's ready." Fon bowed a final time before leaving, disappearing quickly down the hall.

Tsuna still wasn't sure what he was just told but thought he might as well check on Reborn anyways. He ambled down the hall, humming tunelessly to himself, and saw the bathroom door was closed. The water for the bathtub was running and it was just being shut off when Tsuna reached the door. He heard the water splash as somebody sat down heavily and carefully knocked on the door.

"Reborn?" Tsuna called carefully through the door. "Are you okay?"

Reborn didn’t answer for a minute before saying, “I’ll be out in a bit.”

“Alright”, Tsuna said. He walked into his room and flopped onto his bed. He was out of energy to do much as his chest was hurting worse than normal. He had recently gotten pain medication but he couldn’t bring himself to take it. Not until he  _ really  _ needed it.

He wasn’t sure how long he laid there but he heard Reborn enter at some point. Tsuna rolled heavily onto his back and soon had Reborn in his arms, smelling of soap. Tsuna almost didn’t ask but he knew something was wrong. Reborn wasn’t usually as stiff as he was now and his worry for him won out any apprehension he had.

“Are you alright?”

"Is there a specific reason you ask?"

"W-Well, you just seemed upset and you’re not usually as uncomfortable. Fon mentioned it too and I thought I should at least see if you were..." Tsuna let himself trail off. Reborn shifted, burying his face into Tsuna’s neck. 

"Thank you for worrying..."

Tsuna smiled shyly, not that Reborn could see it, and threaded his fingers gently through Reborn’s damp hair. "You're welcome. You've dealt with me enough. Whenever you need t-to talk, I’ll be here for you. But if you don't want to talk about what's bothering you right now that's fine. I'll just tell you about my day since I want you to know.”

Reborn didn’t object and peaked up at Tsuna, waiting for him to continue.

"I had fun for the most part. I was kind of surprised I did from how sulky I've been for the last little while. So first we to the arcade but everybody was dragging me all over the place because they finally had me hanging out with them again and I'm really excited to find out that if I have enough people I feel fine going out in public, it's just if I'm by myself I freak out. So, anyways, we're going everywhere and we finally go to the arcade and Yamamoto and Gokudera challenged me to battle with them or something. I don't know, it was weird, that's all I remember. So big brother wanders off and finds a boxing game, he loves boxing for some reason, I have no idea why, but he does. Anyways, he finds a boxing game and immediately challenges Kyoko. So they go at it and Ms. Bianchi is taking turns as well and Haru was just watching everybody so I challenged her to a game, I can't remember the name though.

"After that, everybody got hungry and Yamamoto brings us to his dad's shop. We hung around there for another bit in Yamamoto's old room, just talking. When we were walking home Gokudera and big brother were as competitive as always and so they were arguing about something.

"Out of nowhere Gokudera fell into the river since he wasn't looking where he was going on the bridge and big brother accidentally pushed him into the railing. He's fine, of course, he's a really good swimmer, but when he resurfaced there was a stuffed toy of an octopus on his head. For some reason big brother found it hilarious and almost cried laughing; now Gokudera has the nickname 'Octopus Head' big brother kept using. Of course that's got to get annoying so Gokudera started calling him turf top because his hair looks like mowed grass, according to Gokudera.

"After that we kind of went our separate ways at the dorms. I also got a book."

Tsuna stretched his legs out and rested his hand on the side of Reborn’s neck, smoothing his thumb over Reborn’s jaw. He hummed a little, not bothering to say anything else as he had finished his story. He didn't really think Reborn was going to say anything and didn't mind being the only one talking for a change. Reborn appreciated the small gesture and laid curled up against Tsuna. 

"If that's you staring, Reborn," Tsuna said softly, his voice full of hidden humiliation.

Reborn snorted softly. He wiped some of the remaining water on his hand against the small of Tsuna’s back. Tsuna screeched when it landed, clenching his shoulders up and he tried to wipe the water away.

" _ Why! _ " Tsuna shrieked. "Why would you do that to me, Reborn?"

"...You don't have to call me by that." Reborn muttered. Seeing Tsuna glance questioningly at him, he said, "Call me Renato. There's nobody around to hear it."

"O-Oh, yeah. Sorry. I forget since I'm switching back and forth from that. Sorry."

Reborn shrugged, sliding down farther in the bed and slinging an arm over Tsuna’s waist.

"...Are you sure there's nothing bothering you?” Tsuna asked hesitantly. “I-I mean, you don't have to tell me; I was just curious if it would help you for me to listen."

"If I tell you, would you tell anybody else?"

"What? No! Of course not! I'd feel really bad if I did anyways because it wouldn't be my secret to tell in the first place."

Reborn shuffled. He moved so he could make eye contact with Tsuna. He seemed to be gearing up to say something. The silence stretched between them as Tsuna fidgeted with a pocket on his pants, wondering what could be so big that Reborn was this scared to tell him. Reborn was  _ never _ scared for anything and feeling like he was, was terrifying to think about. If Reborn was fearful to say it, it must have been huge.

Tsuna waited paitently for him to say anything though. 

Reborn started talking, in a rushed, scared voice that was so unlike him it shocked Tsuna. "I'm transgender and I haven't had any HRT ((Hormone Replacement Therapy)) so I get periods still and I'm on it right now."

The silence stretched even longer this time as Tsuna tried to process this. He had a vague knowledge of what being transgender meant as it wasn't a common word. But the main thing was that Reborn was this scared to tell him.

"That's okay then." Tsuna finally got out. His voice sounded calmer than he expected it and he shrugged. "It's not like that who you are as a person."

"Yet most people aren't comfortable dating me after they know that I'm-"

"Yet it’s not like it changes you completely.” Tsuna said. He felt Reborn still, about to interrupt. He rushed on, “When I got out of the hospital after...what happened, you were really the only person that didn't treat me all that different. Everybody tip toed around me, I know they still do, and you were as blunt as always. So the fact you're tr-tran," Tsuna faltered, his face flaring. "I can't say the word, the fact you're that doesn't mean anything to me because you're still Reborn; you're still Renato."

Tsuna cleared his throat awkwardly and squeaked in surprise when he felt arms wrap around his shoulders, a hand running through his hair. Reborn placed a soft kiss to Tsuna’s temple , murmuring, "You’re the only person that has basically said, ‘I don't care’, when I've told them."

"I-I'm sorry, um, well it is who you are but I honestly-"

Reborn laughed softly. It was music to Tsuna as he felt his breath leave. Reborn sounded so grateful and open. Tsuna felt his chest start to hurt in his affection as he leaned his head against Reborn’s chest. 

"I know what you mean, Tsuna. I'm glad you don't care as everybody I've dated cared a lot about it. That's why Bianchi clings to me so hard too, she feels sorry for me and wants to "change" me back to being a girl."

Tsuna made a noise of annoyance, squishing his nose up in distaste. "That's rude. It's not like you'd come over to me and say, 'Stop being half Italian, you look like you're Japanese so you can't say you're Italian.'"

Reborn snorted and kissed Tsuna lightly underneath his jaw. "Good to know we're on the same page. Japanese people will say that though."

"I noticed that because in all the manga I've read, there isn't a single person of African heritage."

"Some call them 'hafu' as a slur if they have a dad or mom that's African. A lot of people are straight up racist about it and some people can't even get housing because the contract says "no blacks" with the thought that the stereotype black people are rambunctious and don't know how to behave, just because of the Western stereotypes people see all the time."

"It's kind of gross. I've seen some of the stereotypes and on Tumblr there was a lot of activism for it, but I've never really seen anything for the racism here."

"I haven't really seen the racism here" Reborn mumbled, shifting and burying his face into Tsuna's neck.

Tsuna couldn't help but smile, moving his face and hid his face in Reborn's.

"Well, when I was younger I remember there was a doll, uh, Bibinba I think it was. It was really rude and was pulled off but I remember seeing commercials for it when I watched TV on weekends."

"What, did you watch anime?" Reborn asked teasingly.

"Of course. Naruto is a staple for any secluded nerd. It was when it was getting into Shippuden too so it was still really big. But yeah I saw stuff for that doll and now that I look back, it wasn't the most welcoming doll to have."

Reborn snorted, nodding.

"D-Do you want me to get you anything to eat or drink or..." Tsuna trailed off, not knowing what else to say.

Reborn shook his head, his hair brushing against Tsuna's neck. "Unless you can get me a new reproductive system."

"Have you had anything all day?"

"No, I mainly slept."

"I'm going to get you something to eat then. Don’t protest, Reborn. I'm going to make you toast. I-If that's okay, like I don't mean to be forceful about this, I'm sorry I must have sounded really rude..."

Reborn kissed Tsuna's temple, smiling against it. "Thanks."

Tsuna kissed Reborn back. His face flamed as he pulled back and hurriedly moved away. He wasn't used to doing these things. 

Reborn heaved a huge dramatic sigh as he let Tsuna wiggle out from his arms. He called out behind Tsuna, "Just try not to burn it." Tsuna turned his head and stuck his tongue out at Reborn before closing the door and his footsteps scurrying to the kitchen.

Now, Tsuna, try as he might, was incredibly clumsy. It had gotten enormously better to the point where he could walk straight, but he had butterfingers. It was super embarrassing and Reborn promised he would handle all of the cooking because he kept dropping the pot, or forgetting to use oven mittens, or burning the noodles he tried to cook because he didn't put in enough water. Reborn handled all of the cooking after that experience. So cooking toast was bound to be a disaster.

Surprisingly, though, he didn't burn an appliance; just small corners of the bread. So it wasn't that big of deal. Tsuna hoped.

When he walked into his room, Reborn shifted so he was partially sitting up as Tsuna walked to the bed. He looked grumpy, his eyes looking a little dull, and his hair dropping so it wasn't a spiky mess like It usually was, but Tsuna was suddenly hit with giddiness as he realized he was the only one who could see this side now. 

"Am I going to have to get up for my food?" Reborn asked a little irritably. He was mostly joking, but Tsuna didn't hear it as he hurriedly walked over and handed Reborn the plate.

"S-Sorry, um, I was, just, well..." He trailed off and fidgeted, shuffling his feet nervously. Reborn frowned, snagging Tsuna's free hand and tugging him forward.

"Why are you nervous?" Reborn asked. Tsuna flinched away from the words and paled. He seemed to want to deny it but couldn't bring himself to say what was wrong. Reborn pulled Tsuna to his chest and felt him relax as he ran his hand along Tsuna’s back. 

The two stayed tangled together, breathing each other in until Reborn shifted, starting to pick up the plat. He nudged a mug and, turning back to Tsuna, asked, "What's in the cup?" 

"Oh, I boiled you some water since you had said you liked to just drink the water sometimes." Tsuna mumbled, his face flushing back to the bright red colour. "I-If you don't want it that's fine I'll get you something else."

"...Thank you.”

Tsuna seemed like he was about to say something more but Reborn had finished eating. He fell backwards onto Tsuna’s chest. Tsuna wrapped his arms around Reborn’s waist. Tsuna wasn't sure what to do and ended up playing with Reborn's hair. Reborn seemed to fall asleep and started mumbling things in varying languages, none of them Japanese or the little English he knew. So he had no idea what he was going to do except sit there, either admiring Reborn sleeping or sit there doing nothing.

He could multitask though so he ended up running his hands through Reborn's hair, relishing in the fact that Reborn was in a deeper sleep than usual. While he was looking at Reborn though he noticed the deep purple bags under Reborn's eyes, the way his entire body seemed to slump over Tsuna's, and how his skin was paler than the usual olive complexion he had. Tsuna scrunched his nose up, moving his hand to Reborn's forehead and groaned internally as he realized Reborn had a fever.

"What are you doing?" Reborn mumbled. He shifted, moving his head into Tsuna's hand, a small frown on his face.

"You do know you have a fever, right?" Tsuna asked, dipping his head to see Reborn's eyes. Reborn shrugged, shifting and finding another comfortable position. Tsuna sighed, getting up to leave since he couldn't really do much for Reborn and would probably be in his way.

"Where are you going?" Reborn asked, catching Tsuna's wrist again. Tsuna clenched his hand, feeling tears prick his eyes, but he smiled at Reborn as he said, "I was going to leave you to sleep. I can't really do much now, can I?"

"I want you to stay." Reborn said, moving so Tsuna had a spot to lie down, and gently tugged him closer. "Tell me another story."

"Really? I'm not very good at it."

"I don't care. Tell me one."

Tsuna blew out a breath and sat down. Reborn shifted and laid across Tsuna's torso, not even hesitating to twist himself around Tsuna's body. He looked up at Tsuna with almost a vacant expression. Tsuna propped his head against the wall behind him and tried to think of a story, feeling embarrassed as he looked and saw Reborn still looking at him with bright, excited eyes that looked a little weird on Reborn.

"Well...The blanket I have on my bed, it's ten...maybe nine years old. My mom got it for me when there was a small fire in our house. My blanket got ruined because the dryer caught on fire or something, I can't remember the details. So she got me this when she was going to night school and had to pick up a couple things and she saw it. I don't even know what the print is supposed to be anymore. It's now just mint green."

Reborn smiled, moving yet again so he was more comfortable. "What happens when this blanket can't be used anymore?" He asked, sounding like he was about to fall asleep.

"I don't know. I can't use just anything because of how I have sensitive skin and certain fabrics irritate it. I'll have to sleep in it before I can buy it so I don't spend money on something I can't use." Tsuna threaded his hands through Reborn's hair, hearing Reborn hum in approval. "I might just make you deal with me sleeping in your bed. I like your blanket."

"I like yours better. It's soft...and smells nice." Reborn mumbled something else but Tsuna didn't catch it.

Reborn spent a restless night, fading in and out of sleep. He remembered getting up a couple other times but he didn't move too much. He was used to this though. He never slept a solid eight hours without waking up at least three times throughout the night. He felt Tsuna was awake too but didn't want to move in case Reborn would be moved from it.

Reborn woke up the next day, feeling even worse than he did when he fell asleep. Tsuna shifted, rolling onto his other side and sighing sleepily but never letting his grip on Reborn's shirt loosen.

It was almost seven and Tsuna had to be up soon, but Reborn couldn't bring himself to make the effort to wake Tsuna up. He knew that he had just gotten to sleep again, hearing the shuffling Tsuna was doing as he tried to get comfortable again.

"Tsuna..." Reborn called, prodding Tsuna gently in the side. He jerked, rolling over again to stare at Reborn in annoyance. "It's almost seven, Tsuna. You have to get up."

"I don't want to though." Tsuna grumbled. Reborn gently unlocked Tsuna's hand from his shirt. "Why does school have to be such a hassle."

"Because it's something you might need. If you want to be a nurse, you need to at least graduate." Reborn said. "So go get ready for it."

Tsuna groaned, moving into Reborn's arms. "Reborn, can you call in sick for me so I don't have to get up?"

"You do know I have the reason to not go to school and I'm still going? You can go, Tsuna. You'll be fine."

Tsuna groaned and rolled over again...and straight onto the floor.

Reborn snorted, looking down at Tsuna from the bed. Tsuna made another annoyed noise and curled up on the floor. 

"Whatever", he mumbled, "This is fine too."

"You have to shower, Tsuna. It's better you get up now and get it over with." Reborn said, pulling the blankets around himself.

"...Did you take your pill yet, Reborn?" Tsuna asked in an attempt to steer the conversation away from his cleanliness.

"Not yet. I will when I get up."

Tsuna stumbled up then and sat down on the bed lightly, hoping to not jostle Reborn too much. "I'm going to keep bugging you until you take it you know that right?"

"I figured."

And for the next ten minutes, Tsuna poked, prodded, and pestered Reborn endlessly; trying to get him up. Reborn tried to ignore it but this was getting to be too much. He shot up and pulled Tsuna into a kiss, softly cupping his face, angling Tsuna's face just right that would make him feel breathless and giddy, feeling Tsuna press just slightly against him as they deepened the kiss just slightly. He hoped it would shut him up.

It worked.

Tsuna stared at Reborn in surprise when he pulled back, gasping and heaving, a blush slowly creeping up his neck until his entire face was redder, before he dropped his head into his hands, his utter embarrassment evident. He looked up, looking like he wanted to say something but couldn't find the words as nothing came out when he tried.

He finally managed to blurt out, "You really shouldn't do that because our morning breath isn't the greatest."

"That's it?" Reborn asked, pulling on one of his sideburns, it bounced back into a curl automatically. "That's all you have to say?"

"You surprised me..." Tsuna mumbled, rubbing the back of his hand over his cheek.

Reborn smirked, peering up at Tsuna. "You're a man of few words." He pecked Tsuna's cheek, pulling back and muttering, "You still have to shower. It's time for school."

Tsuna groaned, dragging himself up onto his feet and across the room to his dresser as he started pulling out some clothes to wear. He left, putting all of his clothes in the bathroom. He paused as he was about to turn on the water and dashed into Reborn's room, going and pulling out Reborn's pill bottle and darted into his room, throwing the pill bottle in the main direction of the bed before going to take his shower.

The minute he walked back into his room, a pillow thumped against his face, almost knocking him to the floor if he hadn't caught the door.

"The pill bottle caught me in the neck, Tsuna." Reborn huffed, slowly getting up from the bed. "If you're going to keep pestering me about it, I'll go take a shower."

Yet Reborn seemed incredibly reluctant to even be standing up and Tsuna found himself mumbling, "If you want, I could help you wash your hair."

Reborn looked at him, startled. Reborn actually looked startled that Tsuna would say that.

"W-Well, if you don't want to that's fine." Tsuna stuttered out, looking surprised he even said something. "I was just wondering if it would be easier to just wash your hair and everything. I-I just thought I should ask if it's fine with you and all."

"You've never offered before, so I wasn't sure how serious you were." Reborn said.

"Well, it's easier to have your hair washed and clean and all that. It's easier than taking an entire shower, right?"

Reborn stared at Tsuna suspiciously before he nodded. "It is. Nobody's really helped me wash my hair before though."

"W-Well, now you have me. I'll try my best." Tsuna said, grinning. Reborn blinked before his face relaxed and he nodded again, his eyes crinkling around the corner that signalled he was happy. He didn't have to smile for Tsuna to know he was happy about something.

The entire school day was uneventful. Tsuna learned something in English he was never going to use, he was forced to do math that made his head hurt, he got back a test on Japanese that he barely passed. He was just glad he was making double digit marks now thanks to Reborn's help.

That was all the excitement he had was getting a sixty on his test. When he got home he saw Reborn asleep on the couch, his math book, open on the floor like he had dropped it there accidentally.

Tsuna, after a moment of intense mental deliberation, tip toed passed the couch into his room, pulling the blanket off of his bed, and ran out into the living room, carefully draping the blanket over Reborn's frame. The minute Tsuna tried to step away, he felt Reborn catch him around the waist.

"What are you doing?" He asked, bleary, sleep filled eyes staring up at him. They seemed a little clouded, Reborn might still have a fever, Tsuna guessed.

"Well, you said you liked my blanket so I just thought you'd like to sleep with it. I-I'm sorry." Tsuna mumbled, looking at the ground.

"It's fine..." Reborn said, rolling over and letting his arm drop from around Tsuna's waist. Almost instantly, he was asleep again.

Tsuna was always going to be surprised in how fast Reborn could fall asleep. It must be a talent you had to perfect over the years.

But he couldn't deliberate over how Reborn was able to sleep so soundly as he had homework in math he had to work out and somehow finish before making something to eat. He set to work, setting up his textbook and pulling out the three worksheets he had to do. They only had a few questions on each and it wasn't double sided so he didn't expect it to take that long. But he seriously underestimated how little he understood this subject and he finished one worksheet with all the wrong answers before he finally slumped over onto the table, letting out a small, barely audible groan.

A few seconds later, he felt somebody lean against the chair he was sitting in, making him jerk upright in surprise. Reborn was standing there, looking over the working sheet, a frown of disapproval marring his face.

"I thought you were asleep." Tsuna muttered.

"I heard sounds of distress." Reborn said dryly. His eyes roamed over what Tsuna had done. "All of these, are wrong. Not just the answers either. The entire method you used isn't a method you could use to physically get the answer." Reborn said, taking Tsuna's pencil from his hand.

"I figured. The teacher barely helped me.” Tsuna sulked. “She ignored me when I put my hand up and I had it up for over five minutes."

"Well, she seems nice." Reborn uttered absently, sitting into the chair next to Tsuna. "I can explain this easily. It's not very hard when you get the hang of it. All you have to do is take the degrees, which we call, in math terms, the Theta, and tack it onto the tan. Then you take the side, if you're doing trigonometry you'll want to name all the sides too..."

In the end Tsuna finally understood what he had to do. He tried to ask for help but the way people kept explaining it was the same and confused him even more. Turns out he was labelling the sides wrong, that one thing threw everything off and he knew how to do it now. It was a nice feeling and Tsuna couldn't help but smile as he got the rest of the questions right without Reborn's help.

"If you've got it, I presume I can go back to sleep?" Reborn asked when Tsuna started shoving his sheets back into his math book. "Or do you have more confusing homework?"

"U-Um, well, I have English. But I don't think it's that hard. You don't have to help me since you feel sick..." Tsuna trailed off. Reborn was looking at him sharply, a look of disinterest.

"It's my job, Tsuna. I'm here to help you with school too." Reborn said. He sat up straighter, looking like he'd rather be doing something else, and slid the sheet Tsuna had out towards himself. He looked over what Tsuna had to do quickly before starting to explain it.

"You're just matching words to definitions...It's not too hard once you get the hang of it." Reborn pushed the sheet to Tsuna, tapping the first one. "Tell me what you think this one means."

"U-Um, well, it's B-Blasp-" Tsuna wouldn’t meet Reborn’s eye as he struggled. He heard his accent come out when he tried to pronounce the ‘L’ sound and became even more hesitant to say anything. He looked quickly over at Reborn at was dumbstruck at the sight of his smile

"What?" Tsuna asked in confusion. He couldn’t, for the life of him, think of why Reborn would be smiling like that. He felt himself become breathless as he looked away again.

"You look cute when you concentrate." Reborn said plainly.

Tsuna blushed furiously, trying to get the hair out of his face as he tried to distract himself with the worksheet again.

Reborn kissed Tsuna's forehead, seeing Tsuna starting to give a shy smile  "Now, how you say this word is "blasphemy". Do you remember the definition?"

Tsuna remembered it and actually knew most of the words. Every time he got one right Reborn kissed somewhere on his face. It got to the point where Tsuna felt like he might have a permanent blush on his face.

Within a few days, was back to being the nuisance he usually was. Tsuna didn't mind as he actually enjoyed all the small things Reborn did. They actually made him choke with laughter sometimes. Whenever it happened, Tsuna usually had to change so he was dwindling fast in clean clothes. That was the only hindrance to the entire thing. It was better because if his friends came over and hung out with them, they forgot about the pranks Reborn always put up for Tsuna when he walked in the door. Tsuna always found himself laughing harder over that.

One day, he was out in the hall almost wheezing from how Yamamoto got a pillow and honey to the face when he walked in, Tsuna being the nicer person and letting himself in first, when he heard somebody walking down the hall. He looked over his shoulder instinctively and clapped a hand to his mouth. 

Mukuro was walking down the hall.

A lot of things ran through Tsuna's mind. He could run over there and try to get a punch to his face. He could run into his dorm and get Reborn and/or Yamamoto to punch him, or he could scream enough for people to come out and find him. He froze on the spot though, unable to even call out a small warning as Mukuro walked closer. He felt frustrated tears prick at his eyes as he watched, horrified, Mukuro coming closer. 

Before he could even begin to try and move, Mukuro had him around the waist and dragged him away into a stairwell. Reborn had his back turned and Yamamoto was talking to him so they didn't notice, Reborn only hearing a bang on the wall.

"Well, fancy meeting you here." Mukuro muttered in his suave, too over-confident voice.

Tsuna didn’t have any retort. He had found that he had became more sarcastic in his speech lately but he was completely at a loss for words as he stared at the opposite wall. Tears burned at his eyes and he struggled against Mukuro, managing to elbow him in the side hard enough for his hold to loosen.

"That's not very nice manners, Tsunayoshi." Mukuro chided. Tsuna felt angry tears splash down his face. He was able to move away, getting Mukuro's hands off of him.

"Like you know how to be nice." Tsuna said weakly. 

Mukuro laughed, that small humourless laugh that always creeped Tsuna out. "Why, can't I see my boyfriend?"

"I'm not dating you!” His anger flared. It was always so close to bursting lately and Tsuna couldn’t help himself as he continued. “We haven't been dating for almost a month because you  _ kidnapped  _ me and-and-” 

Tsuna couldn't get the words out, his throat closing up in his anger and mild panic. Why was Mukuro here in the first place? There wasn't a reason for him to just suddenly appear. 

"Why are you here, Mukuro?"

"...I don't know why I should tell you. If we aren't dating, you aren't privy to my life. Now...I do want to see you. I have things I'd like to say."

"There's nothing I want to hear from you, Mukuro."

"What about an apology for how I acted?"

Tsuna looked at Mukuro cryptically. This felt like a trap. Mukuro was extremely manipulative and had done it countless times before. One time he had asked Tsuna to get the things out of the sink for him, but it ended up that Mukuro had poured vinegar in the sink that made Tsuna's hands chafe and bleed from how they were already dry. His hands had burned and stung for days after that yet he never heard an apology, just "oh right, I spilled a bottle of vinegar in there and thought it was water. You should've smelled it, Tsunayoshi."

Mukuro never lost the cockiness but his demeanor changed, like he was letting down his guard just enough. "I know how terrible I was. I'm...Sorry I put you through that. You might have picked up on it but I  _ do  _ have a touch of Bipolar I disorder."

Tsuna nodded slightly. He had had his guesses. He asked Reborn about it since he knew the most about both types of Bipolar Disorders. But the fact he actually told him was concerning. Why was he suddenly sharing this?

At his fearful and skeptical look, Mukuro walked forward. Tsuna gasped, backing away. He felt himself hit the wall and felt his throat close up in fear. He felt Mukuro's hands cup his face, gently bringing it up so he was staring into the blue and red eyes he had once found so fascinating; now all he felt was fear, repulsed, and more than even more anger.

"Tsunayoshi, I know I hurt you, and I truly am regretful of my actions. I know it will never mean much, but I am. My manic stages were only so terrible because of how angry I already am. You were just caught in the crossfire."

"That’s not an excuse, Mukuro." Tsuna’s voice shook but he stared straight at Mukuro. 

Mukuro's face seemed to twist, like he was about to start to curse Tsuna out. Tsuna closed his eyes tightly, knowing what was going to be coming next. He tried to make himself as small as possible as he coward. But before Mukuro could say anything, he was wrenched down the flight of stairs behind him so fast Tsuna didn't even process it. He felt Reborn pull the front of his shirt hard enough to make him stumble forward but he was in shock. Yamamoto was there too pushing the both of them out and, with a feat Tsuna didn't know was possible, managed to pull Reborn with him too.

"Why did you drag me out too?" Reborn asked sharply, turning his eyes to Yamamoto. He grinned sheepishly, rubbing his head.

"I figured that you might actually hurt him and he's already unconscious. I figured if you calmed down enough we could drag him to the Dean's office." Yamamoto said sharply. He looked down the stairs at Mukuro’s crumpled form his eyes narrowed in malice.

Reborn looked at him and begrudgingly nodded. 

Tsuna dimly followed the two, Reborn keeping his hand in Tsuna’s firmly. Yamamoto was talking about something and Tsuna tried to pay attention but he felt the familiar creep of anxiety slithering through the bottom of his stomach throughout his chest, and taking a firm grasp onto his lungs. He couldn’t find breath fast enough and as he was left in the dorm, felt burning tears spill out of his eyes as he sat in the middle of the living room.

Reborn was the one to find him as he came back. They had lost Mukuro. He was gone the minute Yamamoto and he went back. His anger soon fizzled into worry as he saw Tsuna, tears flowing freely and his breathing haggard, in the middle of the floor.

"Tsuna, what is it?" Reborn asked.  

Tsuna jerked in alarm and he ground out, "I'm fine", instead of actually saying anything he needed to say.

He seemed to do this a lot more now. Even if there was this pit in his stomach, a soul crushing, gut wrenching amount of fear and heartache and pain, he wouldn't say he had something bothering him. Last time he tried Mukuro lashed out at him, digging his nails into Tsuna's hips as he held him down and growled out how he couldn't care less what Tsuna was going through when he had his own problems.

"Tsuna...It's okay to ask for help sometimes." Reborn said. He sounded unlike the Reborn Tsuna was used to. He said it softly, comfortingly, and in a way that was almost like he was telling himself that.

"It doesn’t feel like it is!" Tsuna said fiercely. Reborn didn't seem fazed as he sat down opposite Tsuna, leaning against the couch. "Mukuro...Whenever I needed to talk about something, you think you can go to your partner; didn't think that Mukuro would hurt me. He had his own problems he always had to rave about. If I brought up my own he would rake his nails down my side and tell me how unimportant I was. Then if I mentioned how it wasn't working out between us he'd get mad and start saying how much he had sacrificed for me; how much  _ I  _ owed  _ him _ . I can't even have somebody stomp near me because then I'll have to hold back tears because of how Mukuro used to hit walls near me to scare me! I can't even think about something without thinking about how badly Mukuro affected me. I don't owe him anything! He-He-He..."

Tsuna started choking on his words. His face burned, his eyes spilling tears like a broken faucet; and he was back underneath the pool, feeling all the pain, remorse, and fear like it was new.

It hadn't really sunk in what happened until now. He had been drifting through in a sort of daze, trying to repress all the memories of what happened. But now the flood gate was open and he felt the pit open and his entire body constrict in fear as he felt hopeless. All over again.

He hadn't realized how much it had affected him. But he didn’t hate Mukuro. No matter what he had been told by people, there was no way he could ever hate him. It’s not like he wanted to be forgiving, but he must have done  _ something  _ to warrant such bad treatment. 

"Tsuna..." Reborn called. He had used the softest voice he had ever used and even surprised himself. He never expected to feel like this. Feel so scared for where Tsuna was going. He never felt scared. He just didn't. Yet this meek little kid was making his heart flip and his stomach roll in fear. "Tsuna, can you hear me?"

Tsuna let out a small sob, nodding, tears splashing down his face.

"Tsuna, can I sit by you?" Reborn asked, still using the same hushed tone.

When Tsuna gave a jerky nod, Reborn carefully pulled Tsuna into his lap. He guided Tsuna’s head against his throat and rubbed Tsuna’s back gently. 

"Focus on me," Reborn said firmly. "You’re safe here, Tsuna. The flashbacks will be hard but you can get through them. Going back to what happened isn't something you can help, no matter how hard you try to stop it, and it'll catch up with you no matter what. What you need to do is talk about it. If you talk about it with somebody you trust it'll help. It's the only thing you can do to make it better. It won't happen overnight but it'll happen. Eventually. You need to give it time though."

“What if I don’t  _ want  _ to talk about it?” Tsuna asked bitterly.

“I’ll be here when you’re ready, Tsuna. So will your friends. Nobody’s rushing you.”

Tsuna nodded. He wiped furiously at his eyes with his sleeve, mortified at how he had acted. Reborn gently took his hand away, entwining their fingers. 

"Did you go through this too?" Tsuna mumbled after a moment. 

Reborn stiffened and Tsuna felt bad about asking and was about to say not to answer it when Reborn said, "Luce let me talk a lot about it; helped a lot as what I said aided the police in figuring out what was happening. It was a mafia family that took me. They kept trying to convert me to their religion; saying how their god was the best and he couldn’t love me if I didn’t embrace the body I was given. It was stupid but after a while they – never mind." Reborn cut himself off, readjusting himself so he could kiss Tsuna’s temple.

"I'm sorry..."

"It's not something people usually hear about. None of my siblings know what happened except for what Luce, the police, and I have told them. Which is next to nothing. I don't like thinking about it."

"Yet you told me?" Tsuna pulled back in surprise

"...I trust you." Reborn said simply. 

He gently placed a hand on the side of Tsuna's face, wiping away the tear tracks. Tsuna felt himself turn scarlet and he looked away, mumbling something about this being embarrassing. Reborn laughed, letting Tsuna move closer before leaning back against the wall behind them.

“I need to pee, Tsuna.” Reborn said after a while. Tsuna gave a small whine as Reborn pushed him onto the hall floor.

“I was comfortable!” He said childishly.

Reborn ignored him, scratching his chin to hide his smile.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> anything is welcome in reviews as I love hearing what you guys think. See you guys in the next update!
> 
> -Gate


	21. Chapter 21

It was now a regular occurrence for there to be phone calls for Tsuna.

Always it was Luce telling him about what was happening with Mukuro. Since he was the victim he deserved to know, according to her. But Tsuna didn't want to know. He'd rather be blissfully unaware of what Mukuro was being treated as because, truth be told, Mukuro was the lowest of the low to Tsuna and hearing about him regularly was not something he would appreciate, since you know, it kind of made him think of everything that happened.

But he still smiled and let Luce tell him because she was too persistent and he didn't know how to tell people to stop.

News of Mukuro suddenly popping up in the school spread extremely fast though so Tsuna had no way to avoid it. Soon Tsuna felt stares on him as he walked through the halls. Chills ran through him and heat pooled his face whenever he felt the stares. Yamamoto and Gokudera had taken to following Tsuna to his next class, even if they were on separate floors, just to make sure he got there comfortably. That didn't mean when he didn't have any friends in a class was easy. He was forced to dance around question after question as he tried to actually do work while people around him goofed off, most looking over in a mix of curiosity and awe. He didn't know why but Yamamoto had mentioned that people seemed to think he was something to pity; people feeling sorry for him making them actually talk to Tsuna.

"That's stupid." Tsuna couldn't help but mumble. "I'm not a conversation piece for gossip. If anything they should be talking about what I went through as something to change."

Gokudera nodded, understanding and having similar sentiments. Yamamoto was just confused but didn't question it as class was starting.

But this bothered Tsuna the rest of the day. Why would they be talking about it and not doing anything, even though it happens everywhere every second. It was infuriating to say the least to think people were only gossiping instead of thinking of ways to make it stop. He was still fuming by the time he walked into his dorm, being covered in baby powder the moment he closed the door.

"Renato you've used baby powder before, what gives?" Tsuna called. He heard Renato chuckle, looking at him from his stretched out position on the couch.

"The baby powder was almost expired and since nobody uses it, I decided to." Renato smirked, not even fazed by Tsuna's glare as he walked to the bathroom to get the powder out.

Renato's phone rang the moment Tsuna walked into the room, making him sigh in apprehension. He had already heard where Mukuro was or what he was having done to him. Currently he was in a processing facility where he was being held until he could be charged. He was being charged with destruction of property, rape, kidnapping, torture, but those were only going to put him away for a few years. That was the hardest part as, no matter how much Tsuna proved what happened, the law system always whisked away rape charges if a rape kit wasn't performed. And one wasn't. So there was only Tsuna's word against Mukuro's lies.

Renato answered the phone, his voice low and sharp. "Hello, if this is about Mukuro's current whereabouts, please refrain from telling him."

"No, Reborn, this is Colonnello. Mom's in the hospital. Either come down here with us or stay with Tsuna, I don't care. I'm just letting you know."

"Why's she in the hospital?"

"She went into labour. Most of the predicted siblings aren't going, it's only Fon, me, you, and Skull."

Reborn groaned. "I'm not dealing with that idiot today, I already have to put up with you."

"Hey! I'm not that bad. Anyways, she'll be in Namimori Hospital if you want to visit later on. Bring Tsuna, he might want to be here." And Colonnello cut the line, releasing Reborn from his infuriatingly pitched voice.

Reborn turned to where Tsuna was pretending to read, his eyes fixated on his book but they weren't moving. "Hey, Tsuna, Luce went into labour. Do you want to come to the hospital with me?"

"Whoa! She's really early, is everything okay?" Tsuna asked, more worried about how Luce would be after giving birth premature.

Reborn rolled his eyes, shrugging. "I don't know, Colonnello just called to tell me what was happening. Do you want to come with me to the hospital?"

"I-Is it okay?" Tsuna asked, fidgeting with the book.

"I asked, didn't I? They want you there as much as I do."

Tsuna seemed hesitant but agreed. His homework could wait as the birth of life was a way better learning experience. Not like he'd be learning anything, he was just trying to make himself feel less guilty on not doing his homework.

The entire experience of going to the hospital was weird. Tsuna had no conscious memory of just walking to the hospital without having something notoriously wrong. And seeing the doctors and nursing rushing around wasn't the best of signs.

They had just gotten to the room after having to convince the nurse at the front desk to believe Reborn was Luce's son, even if it wasn't by blood. Everybody was scattered around the private room. Luce was panting, her face covered with a sheen of sweat from how her contractions were getting more frequent. Fon and Colonnello greeted him, Colonnello and Reborn literally butting heads in a greeting while everybody else looked on. Luce's husband was there, his weather beaten skin seeming more lined as he stared down at his wife in worry, sitting in a chair clutching her hand and muttering soothing things to her. She seemed to be trying not to say things as she listened to her husband speak.

It was quiet and everybody seemed to just be waiting. There was no telling what was going to happen and the doctors had yet to come in and check on Luce, asking if she was okay, if she needed anything, etc. They all mainly just talked amongst themselves and waited for something to happen.

Well after an hour of waiting around the room, Colonnello leaving a couple times to walk around the hospital and Skull leaving half way through the hour after Reborn kept threatening him, Doctors rushed in. Luce's heart rate had been dropping, her blood pressure rising, and the doctors had been notified. Reborn, Fon, Luce's husband, and Tsuna were the only ones left in the room as her heart rate dropped suddenly. They called the nurses and doctors, everybody standing around in worry before they were whisked out. Everybody seemed nervous, not sure what to do as they were forced to wait even more. But this time there was no way to see for themselves what was happening.

Tsuna and Reborn sat together in the corner of the waiting room in chairs farthest from the entrance where every sick person imaginable seemed to be chilling. Tsuna had his feet propped up on Reborn's thighs as they talked, mostly Tsuna just telling random stories or asking questions.

As they were talking, everybody else paced around the hospital, roaming the halls in an attempt to rid themselves of the nerves welling up in every fibre of their being. They weren't told Luce's condition at all, they were just shoved into the hall while they prepped Luce. The only person allowed in was Luce's husband and that was it. So everybody was forced to wait as they hoped Luce was okay.

It was hard to distract themselves but they managed. Tsuna was in the middle of a story, talking about how in class Gokudera had challenged the teacher about how there was life in space, when Reborn stiffened. He was looking just over Tsuna's head at somebody walking through the waiting room, his entire face neutral but his eyes flaring up. Tsuna looked behind him in confusion, not knowing what was so bad about it when Reborn starting using Sign Language instead of speaking.

"The person behind you was one of the people that captured me in Italy. He was the main reason it was so terrible." Reborn signed quickly, trying to shrink himself instinctively. He didn't want to look. It might have been another person but there were people that got off on false evidence or not enough to convict. The person walking through though was the same height and build; had the same long, greasy sandy hair; an easy-going grin that made you want to trust them; even the eyes were the same deep brown. It was unnerving because Reborn was sure they should have been in jail.

As if sensing they was being stared at they turned slightly around and locked eyes with Reborn, their eyes flashing and a small smile danced across their face. It looked like they just hit the jackpot. But he didn't do anything, oh no, that'd be too conspicuous in a public space. If they trusted Reborn wouldn't say anything, be as stubborn as always, then they could plan a way to get payback.

Reborn looked down quickly, signing out with shaking hands, "They know I'm here, don't act like anythings wrong. I'll tell you more about everything later."

Tsuna looked up at Reborn, feeling fear tug at his nerves as he saw how much this affected Reborn. He didn't say anything, didn't have anything different about his neutral expression. But the way his shoulders had locked, his eyes seemed to shine with unspoken rage, and the small lines near his mouth as he worked to keep his face from portraying everything was enough to make anybody scared.

"Okay, I trust you." Tsuna signed out.

Reborn closed his eyes briefly, collecting himself. He hated how much he had to step back. This had happened years ago. This shouldn't be a big thing to be scared of anymore. He shouldn't even be scared in the first place. All of the people there were cowards, trying to skimp off of somebody's fake words. Yet there he was, trying not to hyperventilate as he waited for even one of his siblings to walk into the waiting room so he could leave with a reason. He didn't want to be forced home but if this scum was going to be near him, even in the same building as him, there was no way that he was going to be able to feel safe.

Fon walked in with Colonnello, both still looking mildly uneasy then. Fon walked over to Reborn, sitting in one of the chairs positioned beside Reborn's. Colonnello looked around the room, surveying which seat would give him less of an illness before flopping into one beside Tsuna, making Tsuna flinch slightly.

"What's wrong, Reborn?" Fon asked. He looked at Reborn with eyes that just seemed to know how uneasy and on edge he was.

"Don't." He hissed, seething. The person perked up, looking at their little group from the corner of his eye. They were waiting for information on a patient, the nurse looking through files on the computer methodically, giving the person plenty of time to survey Reborn, smirking at him like they expected Reborn to jump at him any moment. Like this was a fun game.

"I need to go back to the school for a minute." Reborn said, unclenching his jaw and speaking as calmly as possible. "I'll be back later."

Fon looked questioningly at Tsuna, who shrugged. Reborn looked back and signed, "Are you coming? at Tsuna who nodded, following briskly and never looking behind them, even though he felt eyes on them as they went. Colonnello and Fon watched silently but exchanged looks with Reborn, who just pointed to the person leaning against the desk, now distracted as the nurse told them where to go.

Reborn walked, slowing a little for Tsuna so he wouldn't be running. They made it back to the school but Reborn took a detour, vaulting a fence of a neighbouring lot, Tsuna following, failing at climbing the fence as Reborn had directed, and being caught by Reborn easily.

"It's really annoying how perfect you are sometimes." Tsuna signed out begrudgingly, his entire face an annoying red colour. Reborn smirked, continuing on with Tsuna still in his arms. "And put me down!"

"No." Reborn spelled out, careful to keep Tsuna positioned so he wouldn't fall.

Reborn walked to the back corner of the school, setting Tsuna down, ((i.e dropping him on his ass)) and pulled away some of the shrubbery there. He motioned for Tsuna to go through before him. They were facing the back of the building the industrial size and feel of the outside being more prominent as the shadow cast on the grass grew every passing second. Tsuna tried to walk around but Reborn grabbed his wrist, pulling him to a door in the back of the building.

"There's a stairwell we can take through. I'd rather not go through the front door." Reborn uttered, directing Tsuna with him as they walked through the doors into the cool stairwell.

"What was that about at the hospital?" Tsuna asked, mimicking Reborn's soft tone. He stopped and turned to Reborn, looking up at him with determination. He wanted to know if Reborn was okay, even if he tried to bat it away, he wanted to know if there was at least something small to make him feel a little bit better.

He sighed, sitting on the bottom step and stretching his legs out before him. "When I was with the people that took me, they said a lot of nasty things. Most of them were just following blindly and thought they were doing the best thing. I wasn't the only one there, I was the only one reported on after the news broke but everybody else with me didn't have their identities revealed because of how the parents didn't want it. My name was leaked but they used the wrong photo of me, since the most recent school photo was when I was in grade seven and still had long hair, and they used the wrong name. Renato is the name I chose that the media started using after I mentioned not to use my dead name but now most people know my dead name.

"Anyways, the guy in the hospital was the one person not caught in that entire scandal no matter my testimony against him because there wasn't 'sufficient evidence' to convict him. Or the judge was paid off into letting him out since there were ties with the Mafia in his family. The fact he's here though. In the small town like this where nobody of importance comes."

Reborn sighed through his nose, running his hands through the hair at the base of his neck. "I'm just tired of this thing constantly being brought up. I'd much rather forget about it. My mom had to ban the teachers from talking about it since it'd be brought up so much."

Tsuna sat down beside Reborn, hesitantly leaning against Reborn's shoulder. "Well, no matter what you do it's a pretty sick and messed up thing that happened. So of course people want to talk about it. The same things are happening to me as people want to ask me a bunch of questions about what happened and even though Ms. Luce tried to make people stop by talking to the teachers about it, the teachers like to gossip as well. So you can't really escape it."

"That's the worst part about it. I already think about it everyday. I'd rather not talk about it either because if news broke that I am the person everybody wants to meet, I'd never be safe again because there are still people that believe in the cult and everything as they aren't based just in Italy but everywhere." Reborn dropped his head onto Tsuna's, hugging Tsuna closer to his side. "I just want to go home."

"Where's home?" Tsuna asked tentatively.

"With you."

"For a teenager, you are surprisingly smooth." Tsuna simpered, wrapping his arms around Reborn's neck. He felt Reborn laugh, hugging him back, and burying his face into his neck. Tsuna ran his hands through Reborn's hair, trying to think of something else to say. No matter what he thought of it all sounded like he was making it about himself or he was being unsympathetic. So he decided to stay quiet, feeling Reborn relax into him as they continued to sit together, breathing in each other's scent, feeling the other's body pressed against theirs in a way that was sexual but still incredibly intimate.

The quiet didn't last long sadly as Reborn tensed again, hearing people talking outside of the door. He shot up, grabbing Tsuna's hand, and sprinting up the stairs as quietly and as quickly as humanly possible. It was the dude from the hospital, with more people. He knew they were speaking in a Nordic language but Reborn wasn't very good at translating those ones so he hadn't gotten a good idea of what they were saying. When they switched to Italian though, he knew who they were and that they were trying to find him or Tsuna.

He had no idea how they knew about Tsuna but he didn't want to stick around to find out. He wanted to stash Tsuna somewhere but he knew it'd be best if they didn't split up as Tsuna wasn't the best with confrontation. And hiding. Tsuna sucked at hide and seek. So he pulled Tsuna along as he went through all the nooks and crannies he knew throughout the building, finally settling in an empty classroom, stuffing Tsuna before himself into a cupboard. It was lockable from the inside and so it was the best spot Reborn could think of.

Tsuna just went along, he was pretty sure he was going to have a really bad asthma attack later on but he just really hoped it was after everything was settled because he didn't want to have this shit body of his to be the reason they're found.

Reborn had Tsuna pressed against the bottom of the cupboard, his body curved and bending around Tsuna's enough that they both had at least a little space. Tsuna didn't mind though as it was Reborn and he trusted him to no end. He actually wrapped his arms around Reborn's neck, pressing his forehead against the base of Reborn's throat as he tried to calm his breathing. He wasn't sure if it could work but maybe if he calmed down enough he could make sure he didn't have an attack just yet.

Reborn relaxed slightly, bringing one hand to cradle Tsuna's head against his body. It was dead quiet as they waited, the only sound their laboured breathing, the silence pressing against their ears as they waited for something. They heard the occasional footstep but that was it.

It was pitch black in the cupboard so Tsuna had to resort to tracing kanji into Reborn's hand to be able to talk to him.

"Can't we tell the police?" Tsuna tried to reason.

Reborn removed his hand from Tsuna's head and traced into Tsuna's palm, "They wouldn't help as they were let off for a reason."

Tsuna made a small, almost inaudible noise of annoyance before he said, "What about Fon? Could we tell him where we are?"

Reborn thought of it before answering, "Probably. Do you have your phone with you?"

Tsuna hastily pulled it out of his back pocket, hoping he wouldn't make a noise loud enough for people to hear. He thankfully didn't drop it and he handed it to Reborn, starting to sign him the password when Reborn had guessed it.

"I know what it is, Tsuna. You aren't hard to figure out." Reborn signed, kissing Tsuna's nose.

He went into the messages app and sent a coded text, Fon had suggested it for when Reborn was in trouble or didn't want people to know what he was talking about if they read his messages. What he sent was the one to let Fon know he needed help, no matter how much he denied it was because he needed help, and locked the phone. All they had to do was wait to be found. Thankfully, Tsuna was smart enough to have all the sounds from the keyboard and the lock turned off so it didn't give them a hard time if people were walking by.

Unfortunately, people were sprinting through the hall, stopping momentarily, stepping through the rooms, before running to the next one. It sounded like there were three in total, all having heavy footfalls as they ran. They all talked in Italian so Reborn could pick up everything said, mainly they were just saying they didn't find anything, all the locked cabinets wouldn't budge, nobody was in this wing as classes were out for the day, etc.

As they went down the hall, there was always one person yelling profanities and slurs at Reborn. When he had been held with them, there was one person that was always nice to them. They had said they were agender, or don't identify with any gender in the binary, and acted like their friend. He was the person to talk to when one of them had started their periods and needed a little higher quality food or comfort because being on their period was the last thing they wanted, being transgender and all. He was the one person everybody thought was the friend. Yet when it was time for the ritual they had been 'prepared for', this guy had no problem throwing half of them onto the alter and sacrificing them. Reborn had gotten away before that and was only told by the people he had befriended in captivity later on about what had happened with them.

So hearing them call out the slurs and be an otherwise shit human being, it made his blood boil. He couldn't believe that somebody could be so cruel. Purposefully toying with somebody's emotions to get close to them or information. Reborn didn't know nor did he care why they did it. All he wanted to do was snap all of their necks, especially for the people he knew were still affected by what went down in that 'camp'.

Reborn rubbed his eyes with a hand, trying to calm himself down. Tsuna had been watching him the entire time Reborn had been sorting through his emotions, waiting for something to happen. He gently reached up and took Reborn's hand, holding it, partly as an anchor for himself, but mainly to let Reborn know that he was here if he was needed.

He felt Reborn leaned down, gently kissing underneath his jaw, and rubbing a thumb across the back of Tsuna's hand.

The two of them stayed as quiet and still as possible. Even if their legs and backs had started to hurt, staying in the same position for so long, they didn't move. There were footsteps steadily growing closer to where they hid and if they moved that would be the time they stopped in front of this classroom.

When they got to the room where Reborn and Tsuna were, the tension as both of them sat as still as possible was unbearable. At any moment there could be somebody pulling the two out and doingsomethingto them.

But they didn't check underneath or in anything. They just did a quick sweep throughout the room and left.

They were never a smart group to begin with but that was pathetic.

Reborn let out a sigh through his nose, waiting until they heard all three sets of footsteps stomping to another floor in the stairwell before moving. When they heard what they needed to, Reborn slowly unlocked the door, hating the small, very audible click, and slowly made his way out of the cupboard. Tsuna wasn't as graceful as Reborn as he just fell flat on his face when he tried to untangle himself but Reborn couldn't help the small smile that flittered across his face watching Tsuna turn bright red in embarrassment and stammer out a low apology.

"Come on", Reborn signed, helping Tsuna up. "We need to get out of here as fast as possible."

Tsuna nodded, letting Reborn pull him along in the opposite way again, this time going towards the dormitory.

Maneuvering through this building was the easiest thing Reborn could do. He had scoped out all of his hiding spots, built small shelters when he needed to just be by himself; made small shortcuts to make sure he always got to class on time; he could even use them to spy on random parts in hallways, pick up who was getting laid with who, who was cheating on their partner, and was able to just generally add a lot to the pool of gossip surrounding this school. Yet for the life of him he couldn't remember how to get to any of these. He wasn't sure which route to take so he could get the both of them to the staff room, if he needed to take a left then a right, or vice versa.

Tsuna picked up on his distress and stopped, pulling on Reborn's hand to make him slow down.

"I know where we can go." Tsuna signed out, this time running while pulling Reborn along.

He didn't like it, but Tsuna still had a key to Mukuro's dorm. Sometimes he needed to get in before Mukuro to get some clothes he'd left behind when he had slept over the night before or needed to be there because Mukuro told him to greet him when he got home. So he started directing Reborn to Mukuro's dorm, knowing it was the only place nobody ever went anymore. Especially him.

"Tsuna, we can go somewhere else." Reborn said as an undertone. He was waiting for Tsuna to unlock the door, his hands shaking so much that it was getting hard to hold the key still enough to just insert it.

But Tsuna just shook his head. He had made up his mind, this was where they were hiding and it was too late to go anywhere else.

He finally got the door unlocked, it swinging open without a sound. It felt weird to see the doom and gloom that Mukuro had put into this dorm flood back out. The windows all had black curtains on them, leading to almost no light filtering in, there were stains galore on the rugs, suede couch, along the walls. There was no telling what the stains were but Tsuna knew. He had witnessed almost all the the stains being made. When Mukuro had been going through Manic phases he was the one to get the brunt of the anger he was channeling. Mania has nothing to do with emotions as it just makes you feel like you're going fast. So Mukuro always just did things on impulse whenever this happened. Most of the time his impulse was to throw something. So it wasn't the best time to be around him.

Reborn stepped into the dorm behind Tsuna, taking his elbow, and guiding him to the farthest room possible, luckily this was a room that Mukuro never used.

"We can hide in here and wait for everything to cool down if we need to." Reborn said, sitting against the bed. Tsuna didn't seem to hear him as he started pacing, mumbling to himself. Reborn tried to get his attention but he was completely lost, saying things to himself in an effort to calm himself down.

It was all something Reborn didn't want to see. He couldn't bear the thought that Tsuna put himself through reliving everything he went through just because he wanted to help him. It wasn't something that he felt was worth sacrificing your own mental health for. But Tsuna was stubborn. He wouldn't give up and he was going to tough this out the best he could.

"Tsuna?" Reborn called. It made Tsuna jerk, hearing his name, but he wasn't going to stop. Stopping meant he was left with his thoughts. "Tsuna, please look at me."

He looked over briefly but kept pacing, now chewing on his thumb nail as he went. Reborn sighed, getting up and following Tsuna's movements.

"What are you feeling?" Reborn asked, grasping at straws.

"Scared."

"Can you explain why?"

"Obviously because I don't want to be here. This is the one place I promised myself I'd never go back to."

"Then why did you offer this place?"

"Because I wanted to be useful. I know I won't have a chance if there's actual confrontation because I'm very weak, you are very not, and if they had found us anywhere else I'd just run and that's just terrible. I can't run when you could probably taken again and I wouldn't handle that very well because I'd cry a lot more then usual because I don't want you gone yet that could be a very big possibility if-if you are hurt or anything thanks to these assholes and-"

Reborn stopped, grabbing Tsuna's shoulders so he would to. He seemed to shrink away from Reborn's touch so he lifted his hands, showing them palm out. "Tsuna, you might not have realized but I am very capable of handling myself. Even if you run off that doesn't mean I'll get taken away. Nobody knows what could happen if they were to find us but what definitely won't happen is me getting taken by them a second time. One time was a time too many for me." Reborn smiled, like a full on soft eyed, curved mouth, dimpled smile that made Tsuna actually stop, his breath catching, his eyes twinkling, his entire being yearning to remember this moment.

"I-I'm sorry." Tsuna muttered. His entire body trembled like a leaf and he wasn't sure what to do. He didn't feel as panicky, he wasn't sure if it was because he was panicking for another reason or what, but he let Reborn guide him back to where he was sitting before.

"There's nothing to be sorry about." Reborn said, letting Tsuna collapse onto him.

"Sorry."

Reborn just sighed but didn't say anything else. Tsuna started to fall asleep, his grip on Reborn's shirt loosening the only indicator, so Reborn was left on his own. He was mainly still fuming about the entire thing. He had been promised he wouldn't be found yet here he was, found in plain sight and now being hunted or whatever they were trying to do. If they found him he wouldn't hesitate to fight them off but Tsuna would also be there and he'd rather be captured before Tsuna.

He tried to calm himself down, running his hands lightly down Tsuna's arms and through his hair was the only thing he could do to distract himself. It was all he could do but he wasn't against it.

Tsuna stirred, not enough to actually wake up but he moved and Reborn was personally offended that he looked as cute as he did. Sleep was supposed to be a time where there are no qualms on how you look, it's just you and nature. But Tsuna had a soft snore that was constant, stopping and sputtering as he breathed in. His bangs fell into his face, catching on his nose that was running just a little, and his mouth hung open, drool sliding out at the corner. Reborn couldn't believe that he was able to look so cute and adorable when he was sleeping.

Tsuna opened his eyes, the sleep addled, bleary eyed look Reborn yearned to see in the morning sometimes, and he blushed, not sure why Reborn was staring at him so intently. When he was going to ask why he was being stared at, there was a sudden rush of footsteps, and a shout of three voices making their way down the hall.

The closest thing for them to hide in was the closet and he hated this but Reborn pushed Tsuna in after him, closing the door and hoping against hope that they weren't able to find them.

Of course, he had set up a few precautions should the people run into this wing.

Tsuna wasn't so excited or confident about this though as he didn't know what Reborn was planning, for one, and two was trapped in a small dark space while being hunted. He wasn't doing the greatest thanks to that because it reminded him too much about how Mukuro had taken him, stored him in his closet, taken him underneath the pool, never let him see light until Reborn had appeared out of nowhere and given him hope. That was the main reason Tsuna was able to muster up what little courage he had left and actually run off after hitting Mukuro. He had paid the price later on as he had an asthma attack while he was being hospitalized, making him stay an extra night, and being given more medication to take. He couldn't really care about that as Reborn was there the entire time, helping him through everything.

He tapped Reborn's shoulder multiple times in rapid succession, making Reborn look at him in confusion. He couldn't see much of Reborn as it was pitch black in the closet, the door only having a small slit near the top of the door for light to enter, but he did know that Reborn didn't like this either.

"I need you to help me not have a panic attack." Tsuna signed out, feeling a wave of guilt flow through his arms as he signed everything. Reborn didn't seem to mind though as he gave the same small smile that seemed to make Tsuna just want to stop and stare in wonder.

"That's fine, Tsuna. What are you scared of?" Reborn signed out, letting Tsuna fall against his chest again.

"The closet here was where Mukuro made me stay before he took me underneath the pool."

He saw the flare of anger flash through Reborn's eyes but he clamped down on it, his eyes going blank again. "Do you want to leave?"

"Yes but we're not going to. Those guys are outside and I'm not letting you risk getting caught because I can't stand being somewhere that makes me uncomfortable."

Reborn stared at Tsuna, not saying anything, not signing anything back, he just stared. Tsuna felt heat rise up his neck and he started to sign something to explain what he had said when Reborn caught his hands, shaking his head.

"If it makes you uncomfortable to the point of no being able to breath, that's a problem. If you almost have a nervous breakdown, it's making you more than uncomfortable. Don't demean what you're feeling just because it doesn't seem that big to you compared to what's happening." Reborn stared at Tsuna, his eyes smouldering as he dared Tsuna to say anything self-deprecating. He wasn't going to have it because he knew what to say to anything Tsuna might respond with.

But there wasn't anything Tsuna could say. He didn't know how to answer because he knew Reborn was right, but he still felt it was wrong. So he stuck to being quiet, dropping his hands onto his stomach, and letting Reborn card his fingers through his hair, gently scraping his scalp as he went.

It was surprisingly peaceful, the two just sitting inside the closet in their own little world. They could still hear all the crashing and banging around going on but it wasn't something that mattered. The only thing that mattered to them was that they were safe, unharmed, and together.

There was a knock on the door some time later. There was no telling how long as the little light that came through the slit was faint already from the dark curtains. But they did hear Fon calling to them, "You guys can come out. If you're in there of course."

Tsuna reached up and opened the door, the two tumbling out before Fon's feet. They had been cramped together for so long that everything had fallen asleep, resulting in the two just falling on top of each other.

"Fancy meeting you here." Reborn said, looking up at Fon.

"Indeed. Would you mind filling me in to what this is all about?" Fon said, leaning down and helping both of them up.

Reborn accepted the helping hand but flinched, something the other two didn't miss. He wasn't going to address it though as he turned to Fon and started explaining everything.

"Those three people were involved in a cult that took me in Italy. Somehow they ended up here in Namimori and the one with the long hair recognized me in the waiting room. That's why I left; I couldn't be in the same room as them. And they so gracefully followed us back to the school. Probably for revenge because I'm the reason they aren't very secretive anymore. Like I care. If they couldn't get me they would definitely go after Tsuna too."

Reborn heaved a disgruntled sigh before he turned to leave. He didn't stop when Fon called out to him, didn't even turn around until he heard Tsuna ask him, "Um, Reborn, what should we do with them?".

"Drag them to the police for all I care. They won't help." Reborn said, walking off and back through the school. Tsuna looked at Fon questionably who sighed. He walked after Reborn and Tsuna followed, not knowing what else to do. Fon walked out to the connecting hallway between the dorms and the classrooms, seeing three people covered from head to toe in random debris.

Gokudera, Yamamoto, and Ryohei were all standing around, trying to get miscellaneous things out of their hair and peeling off of their skin. There seemed to be bright blue wax on Gokudera's cheek, Yamamoto having a considerable amount of blue dirtying his hair, and Ryohei had his entire head covered in it. It almost seemed to dye the white hair. They three seemed to be talking, Gokudera seeming to be more and more annoyed the more Ryohei screamed, but they all stopped when they saw Tsuna.

"Hey, Tsuna!" Yamamoto called casually. Tsuna gave a weak smile, his face seeming to hurt from the effort. Nobody mentioned though as they all walked over to them. One of the guys started to shift, groaning at the effort, but Gokudera glared, stomping on his temple to knock the guy back out.

"How are you, Tsuna?" Gokudera asked. He was the first to stop but immediately tried to punch Yamamoto as he leaned against Gokudera's shoulder.

"I'm fine. Can you tell me what happened here?" Tsuna prompted, gesturing to the three people laying on the ground.

"Oh, well, Mr. Reborn wanted us to keep these guys at bay so Fon told us where all the shortcuts we could use were. We picked up what we could use to torment them. When they ran by me, I dropped a bunch of wax pellets on the. Some of them were melted some weren't, but they weren't going near your dorm after that." Gokudera explained.

Yamamoto jumped in with what he did. "Well, since I knew that they were going to be going through the corridors I wanted to hit them with a bam! So I got Ryohei and told him to punch whoever came down the hall. We almost hit a teacher so we're going to need some help getting out of that. But when they kept going after a while, Gokudera found us and we ended up tumbling together and getting a bunch of wax all over us."

Tsuna let out a small snort. They would end up fumbling. Ryohei seemed to be vibrating in his attempt to tell him something.

"Kyoko and Haru were extremely awesome!" Ryohei burst out, a couple people walking to their dorm scurried in before he started throwing punches. "They found toilet paper and were extremely good at throwing it on them. They then put some water on them so they're all sticky and trip over with a whomp and a crash!"

"W-Where are Kyoko and Haru now?" Tsuna asked nervously.

"They're talking to teachers, explaining what happened. Can you tell us why it was so important?" Gokudaera asked,turning to Fon.

"Nope!" Tsuna butt in. "Nope, sorry. Reborn and I just had to come back to school since I needed my inhaler and he insisted on coming back with me instead of the hospital." Tsuna smiled, trying to feign sheepishness. Gokudera didn't buy it and Fon was looking at him in shock but Ryohei and Yamamoto nodded. Tsuna needed his inhaler at random times all the time during class. That was a lie as Tsuna knew it was the only way he would be allowed to use the bathroom during class. It was a little rude to use it as an excuse but he needed to pee and that wasn't 'an acceptable answer' according to half of his teachers.

But they didn't bring up how Tsuna was lying. He hoped Renato would be able to tell them a little more if he was comfortable. Tsuna doubted it but he wasn't going to tell Renato to do anything with this information. He just hoped Gokudera wouldn't push it.

"Well, we should take these men to the police station at least." Fon said, breaking the slightly tense atmosphere.

"SHouldn't we just call them?" Tsuna asked, looking up at Fon.

"Oh, we have. They should be here in a few minutes!" Kyoko said brightly from behind Tsuna. Tsuna couldn't help the flinch but he turned around with a smile on his face, meeting Kyoko's concerned look.

"That's great then!" Tsuna said. He tried to ignore the concerned looks as he turned to Fon. "Should we drag them down the stairs then so the police can get them easier?"

"I suppose...There's no harm in letting the police do their job easier." Fon said, leaning down and taking the leg of two of them. Tsuna took the leg last guy's and followed Fon as they retraced their steps down the back stairwell. Gokudera seemed like he was about to jump in and take Tsuna's away from him but he started walking, not even struggling. The dude he was dragging was the lightest of them all. Probably because he had bones visibly pressed against his skin.

It was slow and tedious work but they managed to get to the bottom floor. They were on the third of five floors and so going down the steps, letting the heads bang against each step they walked down, was a good feeling. The police seemed to be waiting for them as the minute the started walking across the foyer, the police cars pulled up. Fon took over, explaining what happened quickly before they woke up and tried to do anything. They were quickly handcuffed and put in different cars. Fon and Tsuna left back to their dorms, leaving information in case they were needed at a later date.

They weren't sure what to do as the hospital still weren't telling them what condition Luce was in and if they could see her at least soon, so Fon decided to pack some clothes for everybody, Colonnello forgetting to bring some and Skull saying he didn't need them as he was too important to change his clothes every day. They all knew Skull would return so Tsuna just returned to his dorm, wondering if Reborn was there as well.

Surprisingly, he wasn't there. Tsuna looked through the whole apartment and there was no sight that Reborn had even entered. Then he got an email from Reborn saying he was on the roof if they were looking for him and if anybody besides Tsuna found him he'd kill them.

It was such a lovely email to receive after today. So Tsuna made the trek up to the roof, letting the door creak and groan as it opened to announce his arrival.

Reborn didn't move from his spot, looking out over the town. It was a nice view as there was a lot of forest in Namimori and being on the outskirts of town made the view phenomenal. The distant sound of cars and wildlife clashed, making an amusing chorus, the fresh smell of pine and industries mixing and mingling inside your head. Reborn was slouched over his knees, looking at nothing but the ground beyond the fence that surrounded the entire facility. It was a little useless as it was rusted from rain and snow so it was a hazard to have. Nobody was allowed on the roof thanks to this yet people went up anyways.

"Renato?" Tsuna called, not sure if using his real name would be god in this situation.

"I'm fine, Tsuna. Why are you here?" Renato asked, turning his head slightly so Tsuna knew he would be paying attention, even if he didn't answer.

"Obviously I'm worried. How could I not be as the one thing you were scared of was here in the safest town in Japan." Tsuna strode forward and sat next to Renato, turning to face him. "I'm not going to ask what's wrong, I'm here to ask how you're feeling."

Renato sighed, shifting, and wincing again. "Shitty is how I feel. I don't...Have a binder so I have to wear ace bandages around my breasts and you can't exactly be comfortable with this. I forgot to take the bandages off last night and after running I think I broke a couple ribs."

"We have to get you checked out, then!" Tsuna said. mortified. He moved to pull Renato to his feet but Renato snapped,"No!" at him, his voice sharp.

His entire face softened, cupping Tsuna's face with his hand. "No, Love. I can't go back to that hospital at the moment. Just wait a day."

"Renato, your ribs are broken, you can't put that off." Tsuna tried to reason. Renato wasn't having it as he shook his head.

"I'm not going back to that hospital, Tsuna. Please just drop it."

Tsuna did, settling unhappily, his entire body trembling. Renato pulled him closer, running his hands through his hair gently in an effort to calm him down.

"Thank you for worrying, but I'm not willing to go back to the hospital yet." Renato leaned his forehead against Tsuna's closing his eyes. Tsuna seemed to deflate, submitting as he knew Renato wasn't going to change his mind.

"Can you at least take the bandages off?" Tsuna asked, hating how his voice had the slightest tremble.

Renato seemed to chew his words as he spoke, spitting out, "I suppose I could. They aren't much use to me if they break all of my ribs."

"Why don't you have a binder, Renato?"

"Mom doesn't see the point in them. She said that she wouldn't get me one until I was sure I wanted to be a guy. Like I wasn't fucking sure before we even met."

Tsuna pressed his lips together, seeming to think of didn't say anything else though as he shifted topics again and asked, "Why are you up here, Renato?"

"...Everything seemed to be closing in on me today. I forgot to take my medication, don't say anything to anyone, and so I was thinking about jumping, making my breasts disappear. All the fun things about my mental illness and what it wants me to do." Renato moved, pulling Tsuna to lay down beside him on the ground. "It's nothing because I know how to ignore what's being said. I just need to make sure I don't try to do anything. It's easier if somebody's with me so that's why when I have a lot of people hanging around me it gets easier to think."

"I didn't know this." Tsuna mumbled. "Have you...ever tried anything?"

"A couple times when I was still recovering from surgeries after I moved here. I was forced fed a lot of drugs that were making my organs shut down and basically destroyed my chemistry. Surgery was what they needed to do to fix certain things. I can't remember half of what they did from how much medication I was on. This was also before I was diagnosed so they didn't know that some medication could make me feel worse when I came out of the hypomania stages. So I found myself with a lot more stitches after waking up sometimes."

Tsuna scrunched up his nose, burying his face further into Renato's neck. "I'm sorry."

"There's nothing for you to be sorry about, Love." Renato said with a humourless laugh. "It's why I got so scared when I saw the person in the hospital. It reminded me of times I'd rather not remember."

"Are you going back to the hospital after Ms. Luce gives birth?"

"I can't avoid it. Not tonight though. She'll be in labour for a while or a short time. They'll tell us when we can visit her at least."

"Do you know what they'll name the baby?"

"Aria. Or Aaron if it's not female. I was the person to pick the names in the end because they couldn't decide on two and they asked everybody else, who gave terrible answers apparently. Those were names of my cousins though, on my mom's side. They were the only nice people on my mom's side so might as well honour them some way or another."

"Was your mom nice?" Tsuna asked, playing with Renato's sideburns.

"For the most part. She's the reason I got into the whole cult mess though. She didn't accept the fact I'm transgender and thought where I was going was a conversion camp.'

"Can I ask what that is?"

"It's where terrible parents send their kids questioning their gender in an effort to make them like the gender they were assigned at birth. It is highly ineffective, scarring, and is illegal in parts of the world for a reason. My mom was one of those terrible parents as all she wanted was a daughter and sent me there. They masqueraded as a conversion camp but they were a cult filled with feudalistic ideologies."

"Half of what you said was too big for my tiny brain to comprehend so I'm just going to take your word for it being terrible. My mom was mainly okay because before she died she asked me if I was straight and when I said I didn't think so she smiled and said it was alirght."

"And there's the difference between a good parent and a desperate one. My mom never wanted me to be anything but herself and when I tried to tell her I was a different person, she sent me off to a place that almost got me killed, multiple times."

"Yeah, she doesn't sound like she was the best. She must've had some good points though?" Tsuna asked, craning his neck to look at Renato.

"Some; she never bothered me with keeping every little thing neat as she understood that kids needed to be kids. She also wasn't into the whole "women need to be pristine and proper all the time" type of living and let me play and just be a kid. When I had went into secondary school and was getting good grades she really started making me work as she wanted me to have a better life then she and my dad. Up until she sent me away she wasn't that bad but if I were to see her again I might feel the urge to punch her."

"You can't punch your parents, Renato."

"Watch me."

Luce gave birth the next day, Renato and Tsuna being called down from class to go to the hospital with the rest of Renato's siblings. Tsuna didn't feel like he should be there but Renato dragged him along, muttering that he was the only reason he could stand going.

Everybody seemed to coo and smother the baby with affection, even Renato showing it some form of emotion when he was given it to hold. They named her Aria, like promised, and she seemed to take a liking to Renato of all people.

Tsuna had ended up having an asthma attack later on the night before but it was surprisingly a minor attack that ended within ten minutes. Tsuna was going to have to go to the infirmary for a check up at some point today, he knew he had to, but he couldn't bring himself to care after he saw that Luce was fine and was able to have a little girl.

When they were all forced to the school, Tsuna had no homework Renato needed to help him with and they ended up just laying in bed. Tsuna was still trying to get him to go to the school nurse at least to check on his ribs but Renato wouldn't budge. He ended up flipping Tsuna onto his back, looming over him, before starting to tickle his sides.

"Mercy!" Tsuna pleaded between giggles. "Mercy!"

"You're lucky you're adorable, laddie." Renato said, pulling out a stereotypical pirate voice that made Tsuna giggle.

"Are you sure you're fine without a doctor?" Tsuna asked a final time.

"I'm sure. If it gets worse feel free to drag me to the infirmary." Renato said, kissing Tsuna gently.

When they pulled back, Tsuna's entire face was red, but he was smiling. And that's all that really mattered to Renato as he laid across Tsuna, mindlessly playing with the tail ends of Tsuna's hair.

"Hey, wanna hear a joke?" Tsuna asked, shifting so he could see Renato's face.

"Do I have a choice in the matter?" Renato asked. Tsuna shook his head, his hair bouncing with the movement. "Fine, go ahead."

"What do you call an asexual that fixes everything?" Tsuna asked, looking excited and trying not to laugh at his own joke. Renato shrugged, feeling like he knew where this was going. "The Ace Bandage."

Renato and Tsuna both snorted, dissolving into soft laughter. Renato dipped his head as he laughed.

"That was a terrible joke, Tsuna." Renato said, pushing hair away from Tsuna's face and cupping his cheek.

"Yet you still laughed." Tsuna reasoned.

"True. Now I have one.' Renato said. Tsuna grinned eagerly. Renato almost felt bad for telling this one. "What does the peacock say after it dies...Nothing, it's dead."

Tsuna, as predicted started snorting again, giggling like a small child over the joke.

"That wasn't even funny." Tsuna choked out.

"Yet you're laughing."

Tsuna snorted again, nodding. He pressed himself a little closer, feeling Renato run a hand up and down his back, his breathing evening out. He probably fell asleep. Tsuna was glad for that because he didn't get much the night before. After Tsuna's asthma attack, he seemed on edge, hugging Tsuna harder than he had in a while and stayed that way the entire night. Only shifting and loosening his arms around Tsuan so he could move as he slept. Tsuna didn't sleep much either only off and on for a few hours at a time, So feeling Renato fall asleep so easily around Tsuna was a little uplifting.

He tried his hardest not to move too much, lightly stroking the side of Renato's head as he slept being the only movement he made. When Renato tried to move around he kept making small sounds of pain, concerning Tsuna as he was forced to hear them.

Renato never made those sounds and hearing them was terrifying. They were so out of character for Renato. He always presented himself as stronger than everybody and smarter. Yet to hear him break down and look weak was something he was too proud to do.

It was so infuriating. Tsuna knew he needed to help but Renato wouldn't let him. He wanted to help as much as he could yet Renato only let him in through words, telling him about his past yet never letting him help with the present. He knew he wasn't very good at that in the first place but he wanted to be at least given a chance.

Renato shifted again, bolting upright. He seemed scared, wild eyed and almost panting. He seemed to regain himself a little and sighed, his shoulders relaxing and his face becoming less tense.

"What happened?" Tsuna asked. He had spoken softly but Renato still jerked like he had screamed in his ear.

"What ever could you mean?" Renato demanded sarcastically. It kind of hurt, Tsuna felt his face fall, but he didn't let it bother him.

"I'm talking about why you just sat up like you had a nightmare." Tsuna explained, sitting up so he could face Renato. "Is there anything I can help with?"

He sighed, shaking his head. "Not really. I'm just being reminded of some things that happened. The usual nightmares. They're made a little worse by how I'm, uh…" Renato trailed off, seeming like he lost his train of thought.

"How you?" Tsuna prompted. Renato tried to speak again, opening his mouth, but he closed it a second later.

"I can't remember." He said through clenched teeth.

"That's fine." Tsuna said, making Renato look at him in surprise. "It happens. If you remember just tell me later."

The edges of Renato's mouth twitched up, his gratitude evident.

"Most people just get annoyed when I do this." Renato started, scoffing in annoyance. "Bianchi hated it and tried to get me to explain myself when I just couldn't remember what I was going to say in the first place."

"I did that a lot when I was younger. Whenever my dad was around he got annoyed because 'I should remember what I was going to say two seconds ago' when I can't help it."

"Isn't dealing with assholes fun?" Renato said, his voice dripping with annoyance.

"Oh yeah, especially when you have to deal with somebody you would rather not be nice to."

"How I interact with most of my siblings."

"Don't you just ignore them?"

"Yes but most of the time they find me and I'm forced to interact with them. Family dinners too. Mom wants to catch up with us and forces everyone to have dinner with her. It never ends well if it's all of us together so mainly she just asks us one on one in her office and we just talk to her there."

"That seems nice at least you'll get to talk to her alone."

"Yeah...Mainly she justs asks how my medication is affecting me and if we're dating yet. She still doesn't know and has been trying to get me to say we are."

"Why haven't you told her yet?"

"Because she's so adamant on me being happy that when the rumours started she was on me in a second. Now I just want her to find out on her own. She won't accept it from anybody else but us that we're dating and she hasn't thought to go to you yet."

Tsuna snorted, falling back against the bed. Renato watched him, smirking.

"What?" Tsuna asked with a small laugh.

"You mean so much to me." Renato blurted out. He seemed a surprised at his sudden declaration but not against it. He would never be against showing Tsuna affection.

Tsuna wasn't sure how he was so suave and smooth though. This was so embarrassing to hear these things from Renato because he didn't believe it himself . He couldn't help blurting out himself, "Why do you think so highly of me?"

"Because that's how I see you." Renato said simply. "You're not this huge hero or anything. You came to me a small, beaten down kid with nothing to live for. And I've seen you grow so much I'm actually...proud of how you grew. Not like you're that tall in the first place though."

"You ruined a really nice speech with that, Renato." Tsuna said scathingly. "Way to go."

"All of what I said is true though." Renato said, leaning down and kissing Tsuna's forehead. "You also haven't eaten all day and we have to go get you checked out at the infirmary too so we need to get going."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, please review and tell me what you think!


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> guess whos updating for the first time since mcfreaking april or smth.   
> what up im so excited im finally updating this leave me a comment telling me how u think about the chapter pls i love hearing what you guys thought ;))  
> -Gate

 

There wasn't much for Reborn to explain. Two members of Angelo had gotten into the school somehow. But regardless, the police were in high gear trying to get the people found; it was the only lead for years that the group was still active. The family went deep underground after Reborn told the police everything and hadn't resurfaced since. Everybody thought they were gone but this was the one lead to finally making sure of it. Reborn had been forced to move out temporarily for safety because of this and put into a hotel in Tokyo. It was a larger distance than what Reborn had wanted as Tsuna was in the hospital after a severe asthma attack. But the bigger city would help make sure he was hidden so Reborn didn't complain much.

He was given a phone to use that was untraceable, could only text, call on wi-fi, and he made do with what he could. Tsuna had been asleep for a majority of the first three days so it made it easier for Reborn to answer everything without thinking about if Tsuna was alright. He'd be fine.

On the fourth day, he finally was able to call Tsuna. He had finally stopped sleeping most of the day and could hold a conversation for more than five minutes.

When Tsuna picked up, the first thing out of his mouth was, "Are you alright?"

Reborn took a second out of shock before answering smoothly. "What makes you ask that?"

"The people that h-hurt you return from the dead...I'd be freaking out." Tsuna sounded embarrassed and Reborn let out a soft chuckle.

"I'm fine, Tsuna. It will take more than that to shock me. Are you eating?"

"Yes", Tsuna said all too quickly. At Reborn's silence, he added. "I've been sleeping too much to eat anything. They just gave me fluids through a tube...thing in my arm so I wouldn't starve."

Reborn smiled and was glad he couldn't been seen by Tsuna. "It's called an IV."

"Yeah! That thing!"

The conversation turned away from anything medical, the two sharing dreams they had had the previous nights. Tsuna was laughing too much to worry about what was happening Reborn. He was pretty sure that was Reborn's plan. He was grateful Reborn was willing to put up with him when Tsuna should've been the one distracting Reborn.

After another half hour before Tsuna was forced to hang up though.

"I'm sorry", he said, "but I have to go. My throat's starting to hurt. I-I do want to talk to you I just can't talk very much from how I was coughing and-"

"It's fine, Tsuna. I'll call you tomorrow."

"Okay...Guess I'll talk to you then. Stay safe."

He heard a soft laugh that made his heart stutter and his hands sweat before Reborn said, "Goodbye, Tsuna", and hung up.

Tsuna sat for a moment in his hospital bed, staring at his phone screen glumly. He didn't like the fact he couldn't talk as long with Reborn. He couldn't wait until they met face to face again. He missed Reborn sleeping next to him more than he would like to admit.

Tsuna made a soft sound of annoyance. He was glad he finally had the oxygen mask off because it gave him room to run his hands down his face. It was bulky and always in the way and it was one of the things he hated having to use in the hospital. Of course, his friends would kill him if he tried to take it off early so he was forced to suffer through until he didn't need it.

The door to the hospital room rattled open. He was in an open ward so the privacy curtains around his bed made it hard to see who it was until they were at the foot of his bed. As always, it was Gokudera and Yamamoto. They were the only people that were allowed to see him last he knew as the police didn't want too many people coming in and out near him. They had tried to get him a private room but apparently it was Reborn's idea to have him in a public ward so other people could be witnesses if anything happened. He has a sneaking suspicion though that Reborn just didn't want him alone.

Yamamoto sat down, smiling as always as he dumped candy into Tsuna's lap. "We brought as much as we could today! I think the nurses are getting suspicious though."

Tsuna laughed, signing quickly, "One [of the] nurses tried to ask me about them. They agree [the] lemon ones [are] fine."

"Is there anything else we can get you, Tsuna?" Gokudera asked. His face was set in worry.

Tsuna shook his head vigorously, feeling guilty he had asked them to get candy yet again.

"It was our pleasure to get them for you, Tsuna." Yamamoto said. He smiled widely and ruffled Tsuna's hair. "We gotta get you healthy so you can go visit Reborn!"

"Keep it down", Gokudera hissed. "There are people sleeping. You'll get us kicked out of here."

"Sure, sure. In the meantime, we heard you were talking with Reborn earlier!"

Tsuna felt his face fall in his disbelief as he signed hurriedly, "I [wasn't on the] phone [when] you walked in!"

The two seemed more amused, looking at each other skeptically, but they did drop it. Gokudera was the only one of the two that understood sign language and was translating the entire time. They soon moved on and the two were updating Tsuna on what had been going on in the school since he'd been gone.

"The news of people going through the school after you two spread faster than usual. Somebody heard Luce telling a teacher on why Mr. Reborn wasn't in class." Gokudera explained. His face was grim and set. "Bianchi has been shutting down anyone badmouthing Reborn though."

"Is she still after me?" Tsuna asked, trying to look nonchalant.

"Yeah!" Yamamoto sounded way too cheery. "But that's nothing to worry about! She's more concerned about Reborn than to come here for you. Nobody knows where he is so there's a lot of rumours. Somebody said that he was seen selling wigs downtown though!"

Tsuna didn't know how to answer that one and looked to Gokudera for clarification Gokudera just shrugged helplessly.

Tsuna knew it'd be a harder transition than usual when he came back home from the hospital. He was let out the same time Reborn was allowed back into the school. There was going to be constant security present so the two were never alone but they only talked with sign language so the guard couldn't eavesdrop.

But there was something off that made Tsuna worried for Reborn. Never was there a moment that Reborn broke down or came to Tsuna looking visibly upset but Reborn never seemed relaxed. He was always jittery and looked suspicious in any room where there were more than three people in.

It wasn't something Tsuna wanted to bring up though. Reborn would let him know when he needed help and to talk about something. It wasn't Tsuna's place to ask. Tsuna so desperately wanted to though as he knew there was something wrong.

He knew Reborn was close to breaking down by how anxious and upset he looked when he thought nobody was looking. And it hurt. It hurt so much to have Reborn so closed off to even Tsuna. He didn't want to see Reborn struggle so fiercely on his own and it was finally that feeling of vicious protection that won out and had Tsuna asking Reborn, "What's wrong?"

Reborn looked taken aback, his eyes narrowing in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"I know you're upset, Reborn", Tsuna said breathlessly. He wouldn't make eye contact but he didn't need to look up to feel Reborn staring at him. "Y-You have a habit of looking...off whenever you think nobody is watching you. You don't have to answer if you don't want it was stupid of me to bring it up since it's your life but I can't stand seeing you upset like this", Tsuna took in a breath and finally looked up.

Reborn seemed to be weighing his options, staring at his hands. He looked up and Tsuna flinched back. He smiled and got up from the table. He took Tsuna's hand and pulled him so they both crashed onto the couch. Tsuna landed on top of Reborn and a hand ran through his hair.

"I am not fine. You were right about that." Reborn said through clenched teeth. He let out a sigh before he continued, "I don't talk about my...feelings easily though. Luce's been trying to get me into therapy but the medication was the only compromise we could come to."

"You don't have to tell me. I do worry about you though since you keep in so much", Tsuna mumbled. He picked at one of the strings on Reborn's hoodie and wrapped it around his finger idly. "I don't want to push you into sharing but I will be here for you...whenever you need it."

"Thank you", Reborn said softly. He kissed Tsuna's forehead before he adjusted his position and buried his face into Tsuna's hair. "I'm tired so try not to wiggle around so much this time."

"That wasn't my fault! Your hand was on my waist you know I'm ticklish there!"

"Could've moved my hand, you know."

"You had my arms pinned", Tsuna said indignantly. He stuck his tongue out at Reborn.

"Aren't you cheeky today?" Reborn muttered, looking down at Tsuna. He smiled up at Reborn before he pushed his head into Reborn's neck, letting out a soft sigh.

The two fell asleep together like that, curled up together. Reborn woke up two hours later. He picked his head up and glanced at the clock through bleary eyes, registering that it was close to ten at night. He felt Tsuna kick him as he tried to roll over on the cramped couch but he ended up just falling onto the ground. Reborn snorted, stepping over Tsuna to turn on a light.

"Off", Tsuna signed. He buried his face into the carpet but Reborn just rolled his eyes.

He bent down and scooped Tsuna up onto his shoulder easily. Tsuna let out a shocked screech but clamped his hand over his mouth. The security guard was right outside the door and would hear him screaming as a sign of help.

Reborn let Tsuna drop until he was holding underneath Tsuna's thighs and Tsuna was able to wrap his arms around Reborn's neck. They walked into Tsuna's room silently. Reborn dropped Tsuna onto the bed without warning and disappeared to change.

"That was rude", Tsuna commented when Reborn walked back in.

"I am rude, Tsuna", He commented.

"I don't think you're that mean." Tsuna rolled over so Reborn could lay down next to him. His back was to Reborn and he guessed that was the only reason he could say this. "I think you're nicer than you give yourself credit for. You don't make fun of people and when you do it's always joking. Everybody likes you for a reason and it's more than just your looks…"

There was a silence so long Tsuna found himself turning over to see if Reborn was even awake. Reborn seemed to be struggling to get something out and ended up giving up. He just scooted over and pulled Tsuna as close to him as possible. Tsuna smiled. Reborn wasn't one for expressing his feelings through words. He felt a kiss on his collarbone and arms wrap around his hips. Tsuna ran his hands through Reborn's hair, finally feeling peaceful again.

After that, things seemed to calm down with Reborn more over the next few weeks. He wasn't as high strung and talked about how he was feeling more with Tsuna. It was a small improvement as all Reborn would do was muttered about feeling overwhelmed before he fell asleep but Tsuna accepted it over him being completely silent.

And it gave Tsuna a chance to actually cuddle with Reborn more as he always fell asleep leaning against Tsuna. Usually Tsuna was playing a game and Reborn would lean against his shoulder wrapped up in a blanket. Reborn never slacked on school work but when it was all done that was when they usually just sat together.

Tsuna didn't mind one bit as his joints and chest had started to hurt worse lately. He had no idea if it was because the weather was becoming cooler but he hoped it wasn't. He was such a baby when it came to pain that Reborn would probably get annoyed with him and leave.

But, it turns out, he was bad at hiding things from Reborn because he knew immediately Tsuna was uncomfortable one the days his pain was worse.

"Go to lay down, Tsuna", Reborn said, rubbing his eyes. Tsuna was so distracted by how cute Reborn was when he was bleary eyed and bed-headed he didn't even register what Reborn said until he repeated himself.

"O-Oh! Why do you tell me to do that?" Tsuna asked in a false voice.

Reborn gave an unimpressed look. "Your breathing is more ragged than usual and you're sitting too straight for you to be comfortable. I'll get you the heating pad to use for your chest."

"I'm fine there's not need to fuss-" Tsuna tried to protest but Reborn cut over him.

"You'll just end up hurting more than necessary. It's alright to take time off and there's nothing wrong with taking pain medication if it's too much."

"But what if I need them another time and I don't have enough because I took two today? Really, Reborn its fine, I-I don't want you fussing over me."

Reborn didn't seem like he was going to back down as he got up and gathered things into his room. He plopped back down onto the couch next to Tsuna without another complaint though.

"I have things ready for you if you find you need to go lay down." He explained. "Tell me if you need to Tsuna. I...don't want to see you hurting."

Tsuna's heart stuttered and he felt his face grow too hot. "I couldn't move even if I wanted to, Reborn…"

"I could carry you. Or drag you along the floor."

"How would that help me?"

"You'd be in my room before you know it."

"I worry about you when you talk like this."

Reborn winked at Tsuna, smiling. Tsuna looked away and hide his face into the hoodie he was wearing. It wasn't long until he couldn't stop focusing on the pain dwelling in his chest and he looked over hopelessly at Reborn.

"I can get your medication and carry you in when you're about to fall asleep." Reborn said.

"I would kiss you but I'm scared to move." Tsuna ground out.

Reborn let out a soft laugh and leaned over, giving Tsuna a peck on the lips before he got up. He came back with a glass of water and two pills out of Tsuna's pain medication. They had been using the bottle off and on for months now and Tsuna was glad he had it. Some days he woke up like somebody had taken a hammer to his ribs.

He needed help to drink as his hands shook too much for him to be able to hold the glass. Reborn was as patient as ever though and helped him as much as necessary. He stopped touching Tsuna when he was done and waited for Tsuna to get drowsy enough to be able to move him.

The fun part of Tsuna being drowsy for Reborn was he had no filter. Usually Tsuna was jittery and always on edge about things but when he was sleepy he tended to mellow out and share more about what he was thinking.

"Feet are weird…" Tsuna muttered. "What if we had fins instead...I'd probably still be as clumsy though. Hey Reborn, would you like slippers?"

Reborn made a strangled sound as he tried not to laugh. "I'd love some slippers, Tsuna. But you can give them to me once you're in bed, okay?"

"Okay", Tsuna said. He sounded sulky and flopped against Reborn when the two stood up. Reborn adjusted him so his neck wouldn't be hurt when they started walking.

"Hey Reborn", Tsuna said. "Why are you still near me? I'm no fun."

Reborn didn't answer right away as he helped Tsuna down the hall. He guided Tsuna into his room to get changed into pyjamas first. He refused to change into anything but Reborn's sweater and pyjama pants though so Reborn didn't try to fight him as he pulled him back into Reborn's room.

"I don't think you're no fun", Reborn said finally. Tsuna looked skeptical. "I am comfortable saying this because you won't remember any of it. Tsuna, I'm in love with you because I know your heart is bigger than most people I meet. When you dated Mukuro, you never once wanted to hurt him by saying he was abusive. You dropped everything to try and help your friends and you almost died by even dating me. I'm the one that should be asking why you stick around from what I've put you through."

Tsuna sniffed, rubbing his eyes. "You helped me more than you know. I once almost killed myself but I didn't want to get up because you looked so peaceful sleepin' and I didn't want you to know I was upset when you had been doing fine."

Reborn didn't say anything again as he turned the heating pad on and helped position it on Tsuna. "I didn't know that, you're right. We've both helped each other more than we knew then."

"When I was in the hospital, I missed sleepin' next ta you", Tsuna mumbled. He was looking up at Reborn with half lidded eyes. Reborn could tell he was about to fall asleep.

"I missed it too. I can't tonight because you might wake up in pain because of it but I'll be here for you."

Tsuna smiled, catching Reborn's hand. He squeezed it once before he let himself fall asleep. Reborn ran his thumb along the knuckles, just watching Tsuna sleep peacefully. He felt himself falling deeper in love with this kid and he wasn't sure how or why but he knew that they wouldn't be leaving each other's lives for a while.

Tsuna stirred awake around four in the morning. The medication was still in his system but he wasn't as loopy as he would've been earlier. Reborn was nowhere to be seen in the room and he tried to get up to see if he could find him.

He must've been louder than he meant though because Reborn swept into the room. He seemed mildly surprised Tsuna was sitting up.

"Go back to sleep, Tsuna. We have the day off so you don't have to be up early." Reborn said. He walked over to help Tsuna adjust but he whined.

"I don't want to sleep." Tsuna said sulkily. "I wanna look at the stars."

"It's a clear night." Reborn said. He sat down beside Tsuna on the bed and nodded at the window opposite the bed.

"Can you help me over to the window?" Tsuna asked.

Reborn smiled, nodding. He turned off the heating pad and put Tsuna's arm around his neck to support him as they shifted to the window. Reborn's desk was right underneath the window so he set Tsuna on the top so he could look out the window easier.

"That's the Libra constellation", Tsuna muttered. He glanced briefly at Reborn before pointing it out.

Reborn knew Tsuna liked the stars and seeing his eyes light up as he started explaining the story was worth dragging him out of bed. He slung an arm around Tsuna's shoulder, feeling Tsuna relax against his side as he pointed out other constellations and started telling Reborn about them.

"The Greeks thought the Libra constellation was part of the Scorpio constellation from how it looks like the claw of the crab; even called it Chelae ((pronounced kill-ee)) because of it."

"Did they now?" Reborn muttered. Tsuna nodded, turning so he could point towards the Ursa Major.

"The myth to that one is that a nymph named Callisto had sworn an oath to Artemis, the huntress and god of chastity, but had broken her oath when Zeus fell in love with her. They boned, had a son, and Artemis cast out Callisto because of breaking her oath. But Zeus' wife, Hera, wasn't finished and turned Callisto into a bear as punishment for sleeping with her husband. So Callisto is being a bear and stuff for about fifteen years when she comes to face with her son in the woods. Of course her son was about to kill her because, bear, but Zeus saw the scene from heaven and intervened. He sent down some wind and stuff and bought them up to the heavens, making them constellations. Callisto is the Ursa Major and her son is the Ursa Minor, but some say her son is Boötes, the Herdsman."

Tsuna blinked rapidly, trying to clear his head. He was getting more and more tired but nobody ever asked about the stars with him. He wanted to keep going! Reborn noticed and shifted, moving to pull Tsuna to his feet.

"You can tell me more about them in some other time, Tsuna." He had said.

"Nobody ever lets me", Tsuna said glumly. "I don't wanna go back to bed just-just yet."

"How about", Reborn stated, pulling Tsuna to his feet. Tsuna slumped against his chest, frowning. "I point to a spot and you name the constellation."

Tsuna nodded, wrapping his arms around Reborn's waist. Reborn gently rocked Tsuna, scanning the sky before pointing near the north.

Tsuna looked and without hesitation said, "Corona Borealis."

"What about that one?"

"...Vela. It used to be part of Argo Navis but they split that constellation up into four parts."

"You're falling asleep aren't you."

"Yeah...but shh, I'm telling you about stars. Can I tell you my favourite stars?"

"Sure; where are they?"

"In your eyes...You have the prettiest stars I've ever seen."

"You're pretty smooth when you're high on painkillers and half asleep." Reborn said. He pulled back and pushed Tsuna closer to the bed. "Now go back to bed."  
"Join me?" Tsuna asked. He glanced over his shoulder hesitantly. "I'm fine, I'm not hurting. And-and I'll sleep better knowing you're near me."

Reborn rolled his eyes but sat on the bed with Tsuna. "You'll most likely wake up in pain again, Tsuna. It isn't a good idea."

"I don't care…"

"Yet I do. I'll see you in a few hours."

"Can I at least have a kiss then? Before you go back to bed."

"Fine", Reborn leaned over, pressing his lips against Tsuna's.

He meant it to be quick but Tsuna was clingier than usual, throwing his arms around Reborn's neck and pulling him just a little bit closer. They moved lazily and when Tsuna felt like he'd choke, Reborn pulled away. He looked slightly breathless and shocked but pleased all the same.

"Aren't you forward, Love." Reborn said. He gave another soft peck before he got up, closing the door behind him softly.

* * *

Honestly, Tsuna wished he had fallen back asleep longer. He had gotten up at eight sharp and Reborn was nowhere to be found. He guessed that he had left to go running. He wouldn't be back for at least another hour. Tsuna didn't trust himself to take more pain medication though as he had already taken some but the level hadn't changed from yesterday. He didn't want to be dependent on medication to help him sleep it off though. He just wanted to not hurt all the time.

He ended up just laying face down in the hallway trying to ignore everything around him. It wasn't working but he actually couldn't move to use any other means to help try and alleviate some pain.

The door to the dorm opened and he lifted his arm to signal where he was. He expected Reborn to be the one looking over him but it was actually Colonnello and Fon.

Colonnello disappeared out of his view, hurriedly pulling his phone out. Fon leaned down, looking grave. Tsuna opened his mouth to say something but Fon shook his head, putting his finger to his lips. He didn't understand what was happening and he looked over in confusion at Colonnello.

Neither were explaining anything and both looked like somebody had died. Soon Colonnello was motioning for Fon to follow him. Fon moved away from Tsuna and did the same motion to signal Tsuna had to move too.

"No moving", Tsuna signed.

"Why?" Fon signed back.

"Chest [in] pain. No moving [from] pain."

"I [will] carry you." Colonnello interjected, signing quickly. Tsuna couldn't catch what he said and before he knew it he was being hoisted onto Colonnello's back and the three were almost running out into the hallway.

"Where are your friends, Sawada?" Colonnello asked harshly.

"D-Down the hall. The door has scratches", Tsuna mumbled. He felt faint and clung tightly to Colonnello's shirt. The bumping and jarring of their steps sent waves of sharp pain through Tsuna and he knew he'd pass out before long.

Fon walked into the dorm and said something Tsuna couldn't catch. Yamamoto, Gokudera, and Ryohei all filed out after Fon, looking concerned and wary. Gokudera looked furious when they saw Tsuna slouched against Colonnello.

"Why the fuck are you being so rough with him?" Gokudera accused.

"We don't have time to be gentle. He can be put down when we collect everybody."

"I'm sure there's a reason, Gokudera. We shouldn't get so worked up until we know what's happening." Yamamoto said.

Gokudera bristled but he bit his tongue with a nod. They didn't have time to argue and should keep moving so Tsuna can be set down as soon as possible.

The group went and got Haru, Kyoko, Bianchi, and the rest of Reborn's siblings before they trooped up to Luce's office. Tsuna had been half asleep the entire time and only jolted awake when he felt himself being set into a chair. Gokudera was in front of him, looking at his pupils in concern.

"I'm fine", Tsuna muttered. Gokudera wasn't convinced but Luce was starting to say something. He dropped it and turned to listen.

Luce looked like she had been crying and when she talked, she sounded like she had a head cold. "I called you all in here because you knew Reborn the best. Tsuna, obviously, would've been the first to know but what's happened affects all of you.

"As you know, Reborn was adopted when he was twelve. The reason he was adopted was because his mom s-sold him to be put into a conversion camp-"

"What's a conversion camp?" Yamamoto interrupted.

"Kids that are LGBT+ are sent to them and tortured into hating the fact they're gay or transgender in order to make them straight." Gokudera explained.

Yamamoto seemed slightly confused still so Tsuna took over. "A place I would go to make me like girls. They would make me feel bad for thinking about anything to do with boys."

He paled, nodding in understanding. Luce cleared her throat and kept going.

"Reborn was sent there and forced through...A lot. He has told me that he wishes for only a select few of you to know what happened when he's ready to tell but the people running the camp were a branch of a mafia group called Angelo. They have roots in the Roman Catholic church so they hide behind their religion as reasons why they did these things. It's full of religious extremists and terrorists that want nothing better but to have the entire world be straight. Reborn's mother bought into it and put her only kid into the camp. What they did was...terrible beyond words. Reborn escaped after months of being tortured and finally got it shut down by telling the police. But a lot of the members escaped and…" Luce stopped, taking a shuddering breath. She sniffed, looking around at everybody and the horrified faces. "They're back now. They're back and they took Reborn this morning."

The uproar was instantaneous as everybody jerked in anger and started yelling out things like, "How could this happen-"

"This is Reborn we're talking about-"

"He'd never go down without fighting how do we know-"

It was cut off as Luce waved a hand and silenced them. "They called the school...they said he had been running and collapsed. He was taken by them; they were following him. He won't die...he'll be made to hurt for what he did to the group."

There was a stunned silence. Kyoko and Haru both had their hands clamped over their mouths with Bianchi holding them to her. Colonnello, Fon, Lal Mirch, and Skull all looked ready to murder. Gokudera, Yamamoto, and Ryohei seemed dumb with shock at what they had just learned. Almost simultaneously though, they all looked at Tsuna who had sat rigid with horror, staring straight ahead with wide, hopeless and scared eyes.

Gokudera was the one to break the scared silence first. "We have to go after him."

"We can't. We could put Reborn in more danger." Luce said.

"Reborn doesn't trust the police. Angelo will kill him if they find out the police are ever involved." Verde spoke up.

It was a heavy silence after that point and they lapsed into silence again. Nobody knew how to go forward. How could they go forward.

"Mom, we can't just let the police handle this." Skull said.

"I know...I can't have a bunch of children going after a mafia syndicate though." Luce rubbed her hands over her face before she paused, seeming to remember something. "Unless…"

"Unless what?" Bianchi demanded.

"Tsuna, how good of a relationship do you have with your dad?"

"...Why?" Tsuna asked.

"I have a plan." Luce said. "Go back to your dorms. Pack a bag with some clothes. If this works out...we'll be going to Italy."


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is a heavy chapter but idk if i need to put any tw?? if i do let me know so i dont hurt people my dudes :0  
> but im so excited to start diving into the plot i have set up what up my dudes pls support ur local Gay Boi and leave a comment about what u think!!

It was a numb first few days that Tsuna went through. He was so confused and hurt. Somebody had taken Reborn. He had somehow been captured by Angelo. Those same two sentences kept repeating through his head. 

After the group left and went back to their own dorms, Luce didn’t mention anything about the plan she had thought of. It was dead silent for almost two weeks from her end and the entire time, Tsuna had been getting phone calls from Angelo, updating him on what Reborn was getting done to him. The details were too horrid to even mention to anybody else so Tsuna was the only one to know the full scope. Gokudera and Yamamoto had been witnesses to one phone call and that was enough for them. 

It made it worse was when the police came back with the news that nobody knew where Angelo was this time. They checked the place where the camp was the first time, at great reluctance to most.  There was no sign of life anywhere. Tsuna felt a wave of panic and anger as the days started to stretch into weeks.

When the police had left, that was when the group was all called into Luce’s office. She seemed like it was painful for her to even be there. Nobody understood how she was in the first place as she had a newborn to take care of. 

“The police can’t do anything.” Luce started. Everybody stirred, looking at the people beside them in shock. “They will do their best but they are hindered by obeying the law. I know some people that don’t have to though. I can’t discuss who those people are yet but we will be going to Italy. The school has to be closed temporarily for cleaning and break so we’ve extended the spring break to two weeks. It is the perfect time for us to go so pack your things, we leave tomorrow.”

Luce swept out of the room before anybody could ask what was happening. Tsuna looked at Yamamoto who had a similar look of confusion as he did. 

Luce had been on the phone nonstop with Reborn's police handlers. Reborn's siblings had all banded together to track down the possibilities. All had heard who the main members that were in Japan looked like from Luce. They had feelers everywhere, somehow, to find the people. The police helped them with spice in the mafia and gave them leads. Police would be there at every step but would stand back if they felt it was better to let Luce and Tsuna lead charges.

Tsuna and his friends were doing the same as Reborn's siblings yet on a smaller scale. Tsuna wasn't much use and he knew that but Angelo seemed to want him by a phone at all times. So that was his job as he was also given better martial arts training with Fon. It was a help that he knew how to fight and everybody agreed that the more fighters they had the better. Tsuna knew his asthma that had died down over the years would soon kick and felt it would kick in at the worst possible times.

The only contact the groups had with Angelo was that of phone calls, updating them and taunting them about what happened with Reborn. Of course they weren't using Reborn's chosen name but his dead name, Viola.

Recently, they had been calling Tsuna in the dead of night, giving the phone to Reborn so they wouldn't stop looking or give up hope.The most recent phone call only ignited his vexed passion into finding this group and watching them perish.

The phone call had been placed at midnight Italy's time. Tsuna was up early so he didn't miss the phone ringing. He didn't sleep most of the time anymore and that wasn't anything new. The added stress of trying to find Reborn made it next to impossible to even sleep a few hours some nights. Everybody knew this so Takeshi and Hayato had a habit of sleeping in Tsuna's dorm instead of their own. Ryohei had left with Kyoko and Haru to visit Tokyo and 'sightsee'. That was their cover story as they helped find the people that took Reborn. It helped there was a boxing tournament so Ryohei was entered in that on paper.

Bianchi had been doing her part of helping Tsuna learn better fighting skills too. She moaned that she couldn't wait for the day Tsuna could actually fight so she didn't have to do this anymore. It was mainly just for show as the two had made a tentative acquaintanceship, bonding over the fact Reborn was gone.

The only good thing to having people in his apartment though was that they heard Tsuna moving around the minute he was up and couldn't ever hide any call he got from Angelo.

He really wished he could hide this time. He didn't want anybody to ever have to hear the anguish in Reborn's voice. He was tired and hurting, Tsuna guessed, and seemed almost defeated as he spoke.

"There's no use in these phone calls", he had said.

"I know you're alive", Tsuna muttered. There was a weak exhale as if Reborn tried to laugh but couldn't.

"Alive but just barely. Please, Tsuna... Just give up. You aren't going to find us. It'll be easier to go to the store and get candles than anything."

Tsuna almost yelled. "D-Don't say that. We'll get you out. We'll find you."

Reborn gasped slightly before he answered, his voice quieter and more strained. "They just gave me something...to sleep. I have to go. Don't forget."

Tsuna nodded before he remembered he couldn't be seen. "Yes, I-I won't; please keep holding on."

Before he could answer, there was a shrill screech of pain and the phone was picked up.

"You weren't supposed to hear that. Viola is quite dramatic to be screaming from a little pain like that. Good day, Tsunayoshi."

The last thing he heard was a whine, an incessant beeping, and somebody yelling, "She's going into shock!" Before the line went dead.

Tsuna wasn't sure how much he could handle. He didn't want another phone call. He didn't want to hear Reborn in so much pain. It made him feel sick at the very thought that Reborn could make that noise.

Gokudera was moving in his room.  He tried to compose himself and hide his phone but he heard Yamamoto call, "Tsuna?"

Both Gokudera and Yamamoto were stopped in the middle of the hall, watching Tsuna with concern. "Tsuna, what's wrong?"

Tsuna would've dropped his phone if Yamamoto hadn't taken it out if his hand.

"Who was that?" Gokudera asked. "Was it Angelo?"

Tsuna felt his jaw tighten as he nodded. Gokudera let out a foul string of cursing and Yamamoto didn’t seem to have it in him to correct Gokudera about it as he also let out a curse himself.

"What did they say?" Yamamoto said angrily.

Tsuna wasn't sure he could say. The recording on his phone was easy to get to. He was tempted to show the two but he wasn't sure he could hear that again. He chewed on his nail and crossed an arm over his chest.

Yamamoto pushed Tsuna towards the kitchen, never uttering a word as he bustled around making tea. Gokudera sat with Tsuna, letting him regain some composure. Gokudera put a comforting hand on Tsuna's shoulder, running a thumb along his collarbone.

Nobody said anything, waiting for Tsuna to be the first one to speak. Yamamoto and Gokudera made eye contact across the table, their eyes worried and terrified. It was a miracle that Gokudera wasn't trying to pick a fight with Yamamoto. It was a testament to how scary the situation had gotten.

"Angelo called." Tsuna finally ground out. The mug of tea was clenched so hard it looked like Tsuna would've broken it. "They... They told me about how Reborn was doing. Right before they hung up, I think Reborn’s heart stopped.”

“What? Not possible.” Gokudera said aggressively.

Tsuna didn’t answer. He was barely aware of anything around him as it finally  _ sunk in _ . Reborn was in trouble, he was in pain, and he was not going to be able to get out of this one by himself this time. Obviously Tsuna had known what had been happening but he hadn’t actually realized the depth that this went.

“Tsuna, are you okay?” Yamamoto inquired.

“No… but better than Reborn.” Tsuna got up and took his phone back. 

Gokudera looked like he was about to say something but thought better of it as Tsuna let the room again. Tsuna heard the two muttering to each other. He ignored it and walked into Reborn’s room. He took one of Reborn’s sweaters and checked the pockets for his headphones. Reborn had a habit of stealing Tsuna’s and using them when he was working out in the mornings. 

Tsuna used the headphones for the next hour as he listened to the phone call recording over and over again. Each time hurt more and more as he had to hear Reborn in pain. But he refused to stop. There had to be some sort of clue within it. Maybe there was something a person said or a hint Reborn tried to drop. He replayed to it so much that he could quote it. He started drowning out the talking, ignoring the screech of pain, and trying to hear the background noises. 

There was a certain sound that kept playing. Tsuna had no idea what it was but it was a constant drone that started to give him a headache. He didn’t stop playing the recording though. He turned up the bass in the headphones, he turned the volume lower and higher, he did whatever he could to try and make the sound clearer. 

Somebody knocked on the door but he was so immersed he didn’t hear it. Only when somebody touched his shoulder did he jerk away from his stupor. He fell over in his shock, his heart going a mile a minute. He looked up and Gokudera placing a plate down on the table. He looked concerned at Tsuna’s frazzled state. 

Before he could ask what was wrong, Tsuna said, “I need you to listen to something.”

“Okay?” Gokudera said in confusion. He sat down and took the headphones from Tsuna’s hands. “What am I supposed to be listening for?”

“There’s a...sound in the background. I don’t know what it is. I know I’ve heard it before...”

Gokudera concentrated on the recording. His face blanched as he registered what was being said. Tsuna replayed it a few more times before Gokudera had a puzzled, thoughtful expression. He removed the headphones and stared at the ground, thinking. 

“I...don’t know either, Tsuna.” Gokudera paused, thinking some more. “Is it a plane? Or maybe a highway?” 

“Highways sound different. It wouldn’t be always there if it was. And a plane would fade.”

The two of them stared at the floor, trying to think of anything else. They sat there just throwing out different things that sounded like what was in the background. Every time it was shot down with a simple explanation. 

“Do you think Yamamoto would know?” Tsuna demanded after a few minutes of just silent thinking.

“He’s an idiot; no he wouldn’t.” Gokudera said almost immediately.

“Don’t be rude. He is smart...sometimes.”

Gokudera snorted before leaning over for the headphones again. He listened to it again before making a disgruntled sound. Yamamoto, who had been walking by, peeked his head in curiously to see what was happening. 

“What are you two doing?” He asked. He seemed to be excited for some reason.

“I need you to hear this”, Tsuna said. He tripped over Gokudera in his haste to thrust the phone into Yamamoto’s hands. “There’s a sound. In the background, there’s a sound. We’ve been trying to figure it out. Do you know it?”

“I don’t know! Let’s find out,” Yamamoto said enthusiastically. He listened to the recordings a few times. He seem shocked and horrified over them but Tsuna was looking at him hopefully so he tried to hear past what was being said.

After a few more times, Yamamoto took the headphones out. There was a certain look in his eyes as he handed Tsuna his phone back.

“What? Why do you look hopeful?” Gokudera demanded.

“That bshhhhhhh sound”, Yamamoto said. “That’s a wind thingy!”

“A what?” Tsuna asked. 

“The big white, spinny things! They’re everywhere in the country and make the same bshhhhh sound.”

“Do you mean wind turbines?” Gokudera questioned. He looked shocked that somebody could be that stupid.

“What are those?” 

Gokudera let out a scream of anger and annoyance. He thought they were finally getting somewhere. Tsuna, on the other hand, was hurriedly searching up what a wind turbine sounded like.

“This is it!” Tsuna yelled. His voice shook as he yanked the cord out of his phone so the other two could hear it. 

“That’s the bshh sound!” Yamamoto said excitedly. “My grandparents live near these! I visited them when I was little and the sound made my head go ow.” 

“We have to tell Luce.” Gokudera said. 

The three got up and hurriedly put shoes on. Tsuna was shaking as he walked through the halls. He couldn’t believe it. There was a clue to where Angelo was. It seemed too good to be true. 

Luce was sitting in her office when they got there. Her secretary was on lunch so it was just the four of them. Tsuna surged forward ahead of everybody else. Luce gave a strained smile as the three filed in.

“What can I do for you guys?” She asked. She sounded too tired to be up.

“W-We think we have a clue to where Angelo could be.” Gokudera said, “Tsuna got a call this morning and, luckily, he recorded it. In the background, there’s a sound that comes from wind turbines. Its throughout the entire thing and it sounds identical to a recording we found too.”

Luce sat, shocked. “Let me hear it. Let me hear the recording so I know what you’re talking about.”

Tsuna obeyed and opened the taping. Luce listened intently, her hands clenched tightly together. Tsuna couldn’t look at her but looked up expectantly when she finally took the earbuds out. 

“There’s an echo whenever they talk”, Luce commented. “Usually that happens when you’re underground.”

“I remember reading somewhere that a lot of older churches have tunnels underneath it.” Gokudera said slowly. He snapped his head up to meet Luce’s eyes. “Are there any old churches abandoned because of wind farms being built?”

“I don’t know”, Luce said. “We’re leaving soon. I cannot wait any longer. I just finished making the arrangements. I have people meeting us at the airport. They will be updated about this information and they’ll help us search for the place Angelo could be.”

* * *

Water was thrown into Reborn’s face so he woke up. He opened his eyes and glared at the person standing over him. He let out a groan when he recognized the person as one of the other kids being kept here. She was clutching a cup and a sheet in her hands.

“I-I had to”, She mumbled in broken Italian. Reborn nodded as he tried to sit up. “No sit.”

“Am I going to get hit if I don’t obey?” Reborn said in German. 

The other kid looked relieved as she answered in her mother tongue. “Your stomach has too many bruises. You need to lay down not sit.”

“I couldn’t care less how they heal. I’ll get more by the end of the hour.” 

“My name’s Theresa, by the way.” She said timidly. “You are never in here long enough for any of us to talk with you.”

“Yeah, everybody hates me here. I’m the reason they had to go back into hiding five years ago.”

Theresa looked shocked and hopeful. She held out the sheet she was holding. “They took your clothes again. We covered you with this while you slept.”

“Thanks. Did they give everybody more than crumbs today?”

Theresa shook her head. She picked at the tattered trenchcoat she was wearing. It was the only thing she had. When they were taken into the camp, they were only allowed to keep one thing to wear the entire time. It was only washed if you wanted to walk around without clothes so most people didn’t get their clothes washed. 

Where they were was a caged in cell. It was similar to a police holding cell but it was dank and made out of dirt. Reborn didn’t know where they were besides the fact they were underground. He had fainted from his medication and had been put to sleep for hours until he had woken up inside of this very cell. He was the only one there and had watched everybody being pushed into the cell. When everybody had been settled, he was dragged out of the cage forcibly and beaten brutally in front of everybody.

“This is what happens when you tell the police about us!” The leader had said. Reborn was left bleeding on the ground for the night until they had started hurting kids again. 

Too many nights Reborn had heard people sobbing into the ground. He never slept during the night. He sat with his back against the corner, facing the gate, just waiting for them to come back for him. He never wanted to wake up to them dragging him away. 

Theresa moved away momentarily before coming back. Somebody trailed behind her, looking scared and beaten down. They sat in front of Reborn tentatively.

“This is Ricky. He’s my friend.” Theresa said. “This is…”

“Reborn.”

“Don’t lie to them!” A guard yelled through the bars. “That’s Viola Sinclair and she’s our special guest. Get the fuck up and come here.”

Reborn got up quietly. There was no point to even argue with anything. It was better to just deal with it. The guard ripped the blanket away from Reborn’s body, leering up at Reborn. 

“Not so tough are you now, huh?” He said with a sickening grin. Reborn didn’t say anything still and just walked with the guard. 

“Oh, did you not get your clothes back?” The leader asked. 

“No”, Reborn said shortly.

“Don’t be like this, Viola. It was a simple mistake. Please, walk this way and you can change.”

Reborn did. He was led down a hall and into a darkened side room. He knew something was going to happen. Nothing was ever as it seemed in this place. He was right of course when somebody tackled him onto the floor. Before he could even react, his arms were pinned above his head by one person, another had his legs pinned, and a third was sitting on his chest. 

He tried to struggle but every time somebody was hitting him. He gasped, heaving as he tried to regain his breath. The door opened and the leader walked in. A light was turned on and all three of the people on top of him were guys. Their faces were covered but that didn’t stop them from looking any less terrifying. 

“You’ve been getting too mouthy with the others so we have to separate you from them for a little bit.” The leader leaned down near Reborn’s head. He moved Reborn’s hair off of his face tenderly. “You’re gonna be a little sore when you wake up, are you sure you wanna keep going like this?”

Reborn spit at the leader. It was red tinged and landed straight on his face. It was a brief moment of satisfaction for Reborn until the one on his chest started strangling him in anger. 

“Make sure you do it  _ right  _ this time. Can’t have her dying on us again.” The leader said. He got up and stalked away, the door slamming.

Reborn’s throat was released and he was kicked into the corner. He was chained to the wall with his hands behind his back. He was too dazed to be able to fight back as he had almost passed out. He only came through when there was a tinkle of metal hitting the cold stone floor and a thump as a bucket was dropped beside Reborn.

“Hold her legs open. If I hit an artery, boss’ll have my head.” One of the people said. 

“No!” Reborn yelled. He knew what they were going to do. “Don’t touch me!”

“Use the chloroform. It’ll calm her down so I can work.”

A cloth was pressed against Reborn’s face and he felt his entire body grow heavy. He kicked weakly one final time before he was limp, staring at the ceiling. He started breathing heavier as a wave of pain overtook him. It made him nauseous and dizzy. His hands clenched around the chains and before he knew it, he was whimpering. He let out whimpers, moans, and groans of pain. They had a scalpel to his labia. Even when the chloroform wore off, if he moved the knife could hit a major artery. He was forced to lay limply with pain. Tears flowed freely as he was forced to endure. Whenever he passed out, he was slapped awake again.

What felt like hours later, the knife went away. He felt water on his legs. He was being cleaned up. Then there were bandages and he was unchained. There was a gurney outside of the door and he was carried onto it. 

Reborn was in a haze. He wasn’t awake or asleep. But he had water splashed in his face so he woke up more. He looked up tiredly and a phone was held to his ear. This was the daily phone call to Tsuna. Tears welled up again in his tired state as he heard Tsuna say, “Hello, honey.”

The entire conversation took place as Reborn was moved down the hall. It soon turned white and clean all around him. Reborn guessed this was where he was going to recover for the next few days. He was hooked up to monitors and an IV to give him everything he needed to recover smoothly.

The phone was taken from him too fast. He savoured the fact he could talk to Tsuna but he knew it was to torture him with the fact Tsuna would never find him. 

Reborn heard a baritone voice talking but he didn’t register it. He was tired. He sighed as he felt his head fall to the side. It was time for bed. 


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> idk how to tag this so lmk if you guys need anything tagged please!! ill put it in the chapter summary and the story tags :0  
> and dont forget to leave a comment!! i wanna know what u guy thought!!

Everybody walked off the plane tense and guarded. Nobody spoke much on the plane ride over. It was an odd change from the loud and obnoxious group they usually were. 

They were escorted to a modestly big house in three black cars. It was the house Luce lived in before everybody went to Japan. The six siblings and Luce all had their own rooms because of that. Yamamoto, Gokudera, and Tsuna all crashed into one of the bigger guest rooms. 

Tsuna was the first one up because he heard his phone chiming. He had fallen into a fitful sleep so it hadn’t taken much to wake him up. He felt around underneath his pillow blindly and half asleep, checking the screen. There was an email. There wasn’t much of a decipherable email and it had no subject. Tsuna found that odd but in his sleep muddled state, he didn’t dwell on it too much. 

He rubbed his eyes as he opened the email and felt his heart drop. 

Inside the email was a picture of Reborn. The entire left side of his face had splotches of purple and blue. There were old and new bruises along his neck that Tsuna could see too. His lip had split and there was dried blood flaking on his chin and just peeking out of the corner of his mouth. 

“No”, Tsuna mumbled without thinking. 

Tsuna locked his phone and slide it back under his pillow slowly. He got up and walked to the bathroom, closing the door softly. He slid down to the floor, curling in on himself. He was hoping nobody had woken up from his phone going off. If the other two saw the picture...Tsuna wasn’t even sure what they’d do. He  _ wished  _ he hadn’t seen it. He could feel his stomach starting to turn just thinking about it. 

Reborn...he didn’t look  _ alive  _ in that picture. His lips looked blue underneath the blood…Tsuna’s worst fears had been realized too quickly. He realized that Reborn could very well be dead. And there was nothing they could even do. 

Tsuna buried his face into his knees and felt a small sob build in his chest. It felt so hopeless. There were no ways of finding these people. The only thing they had to go on was that they maybe, could be, underneath a wind farm in a church. They were in Europe. They had churches on every block probably. His chest felt too tight as he realized how  _ little  _ they had to go on. No leads, no evidence,  _ nothing.  _

He clutched his chest, feeling tears well up in his eyes. This was so infuriating. He hated this. He couldn’t stand having so many questions and next to no answers. 

There was a knock on the door and a sob escaped Tsuna before he could stop it. He clamped his hands over his mouth, feeling tears rush out of his eyes. He didn’t want to explain what was happening. He  _ couldn’t _ explain it. 

But the door opened anyways and Yamamoto walked in. He paused for a second before he shut the door and sat down. He ignored Tsuna, waiting for him to finish furiously wiping his face. 

“Are you okay?” Yamamoto finally asked. 

“I’m fine”, Tsuna said a little too quickly.

Yamamoto looked down at Tsuna before sighing. “Gokudera went to go get you some water. We heard you moving and thought you were getting a drink. But we realized there were no cups in here! He’ll probably get food so we can eat in here before you go back to bed. It’s still early so you have time.”

“I don’t want to sleep alone”, Tsuna mumbled. “I’ll stay up, don’t worry.”

“You kept moving in your sleep. It didn’t sound like a very good one so you’ll eat before going back to bed. It’ll work out.”

Tsuna sniffed, rubbing his eye again. He didn’t answer, not seeing the point. He knew Yamamoto was right and wasn’t going to argue. He just wasn’t sure he deserved it. 

“You look like you need a hug.” Yamamoto announced after a few moments. “Am I allowed?”

“Oh…” Tsuna picked at his nails before nodding. “Yeah, that’d be nice.”

Yamamoto smiled before pulling Tsuna to his chest. He felt Tsuna shake slightly, burying himself as far as possible against Yamamoto as he could. He tried to match Yamamoto’s breathing so he would calm down but it didn’t work as he couldn’t forget about the thought of what was going to happen to Reborn. He could feel himself starting to panic again and he gently pushed himself away from Yamamoto as he started shaking, his chest hurting again. It wasn’t the same kind of pain that was centred in his lungs. 

“Hey, Tsuna, you can tell me what’s wrong if you need to”, Yamamoto said softly. Tsuna looked up fearfully and Yamamoto smiled patiently. “We’re friends! If I couldn’t support you, what kind of friend am I?”

Tsuna laughed, trying once again to wipe his eyes. It didn’t work as he had started crying again and he felt Yamamoto grab his hand. 

“I won’t get too close until you say it’s okay but holding your hand will help, right?”

Tsuna nodded, feeling his breathing pick up. He pulled his bangs away from his face as he tried to calm down. He couldn’t though as all he could think of was that damn picture and the fact that Reborn was dead and how they were no closer to finding him and so much was going wrong-

There was another knock on the door and Tsuna flinched harshly. Gokudera walked in with a water bottle and some snacks. He put them on the counter before he sat on the other side of Tsuna. He didn’t say anything; just silently took Tsuna’s other hand and squeezed it gently before letting go. That small gesture was enough to make Tsuna finally explain about the picture and how scared he was about what had happened. 

Not once was he interrupted and when he had finally faltered and stopped, Yamamoto handed him water and some tissues. His nose was running and he was sobbing as he talked. Gokudera had scooted closer and Tsuna was the one to grab his hand this time as he needed it now. 

“Who’s phone is ringing..?” Gokudera asked. 

Tsuna listened before recognizing his ringer. He stood up and tore out of the bathroom, tripping over himself as he ran over to his bed, ripping his phone out. He collapsed to his knees as he saw the same “Unknown Caller” ID come up. 

“...Hello?” Tsuna said hesitantly.

There was a moment of silence before he heard Reborn groggily mutter into the phone, “You’ve been crying.”

Tsuna let out a shaky laugh. “It doesn’t matter. D-Did you just wake up?”

“Sadly. I was put to sleep for hours.” He coughed before groaning. “I would’ve thought they’d...make me keep sleeping…just skip over the phone call of the day.”

“Well, if it means we get to talk and I know you’re alive.” Tsuna said half-heartedly. He sat back on his heels and leaned against the bed behind him. “Did they do much to you?” 

“Oh, I have some stories. Don’t think they’ll appreciate me telling you though.”

“Can’t be rebelling, no.”

Reborn laughed weakly. “I’m about to fall back asleep…’M tired.”

“I’ll see you soon. Go to bed.” Tsuna said fondly. Reborn mumbled something but the call was ended before Tsuna could ask what he said. 

He looked at the phone screen, feeling his mood plummet even further. His phone was being taken out of his hand though and he was being steered onto his bed. Water was thrusted into his hand and so was a bag of graham crackers. He didn’t do anything but eat numbly. It was the only thing he could do. He heard people talking to him but he only made soft sounds or nodded. He wasn’t sure he could focus even if he tried. 

Soon he was climbing back into his bed and underneath the covers. He pulled them over his head so he wouldn’t have to awkwardly explain what was wrong. He didn’t want to do that again. He wasn’t sure if he could even manage it. 

When he had woken up though, he wished somebody was there. It was light when he woke up again. Tsuna fumbled for his phone to check the time and saw that it was almost noon. They had all gotten into their rooms near eight and all crashed by nine. Tsuna had been woken up at three though and had two panic attacks. 

Remembering what happened was embarrassing. Tsuna felt his insides turn at the thought of having to face his two friends. He hated how he had broken down so much in front of them and felt shame boil inside of him at the very thought it could happen again. 

He tried to push that out of his mind as he got up though. He took a shower and got ready before creeping into the hallway. He had no idea where to go to get to where everybody was. When he tried to email Gokudera and Yamamoto, the messages didn’t deliver. He was walking around dimly, trying to figure out where everything wasnow. 

Tsuna walked down the stairs. He wasn’t paying attention to what he was doing though and instead tripped down the stairs. He rested at the bottom, his eyes closed, just breathing. He was trying to calm himself and not get angry at himself for being so clumsy. He heard somebody stop walking near his head and he peaked his eyes open.

Mukuro was leaning over him, looking mildly concerned. Tsuna felt his stomach turn inside out as he locked eyes with Mukuro. He smiled, offering his hand, but Tsuna stumbled away. He was shaking his head furiously, backing away from Mukuro and trying to put as much space between the two as possible. Mukuro wouldn’t take the  _ hint  _ though and was walking nearer.

“Tsunayoshi, please-” He started to say but Tsuna cut across him.

“Don’t!” He said. He was shaking and he hugged himself to try and hide it. “Please, don’t talk to me.”

“Can I have one conversation with you?” Mukuro asked. He tried to put his hand on Tsuna’s shoulder in a comforting gesture but Tsuna collapsed to the ground to avoid being touched. Mukuro hesitated before he dropped his hand limply to his side.

“Tsuna!” Gokudera yelled. He came over, kneeling down beside him. He saw Mukuro and his face changed into a snarl as he stood up, getting in Mukuro’s face and growled, “Get the fuck away from him.”

“Who’s going to make me?” Mukuro said smugly.

“You’d rather not find that out”, Gokudera said angrily. He stepped away and leaned over Tsuna, helping him stand up. “I better not see you near Tsuna alone again or so help me-”

“You’ll do what exactly?” 

“Don’t push it.” 

Gokudera turned and helped Tsuna sit down in another room, closing and locking the door behind him so Mukuro couldn’t follow. It was hard to get Tsuna to sit down as he was so rigid but when he did, he put his head in his hands, and stared at the floor. Gokudera left him be as he sat in another chair and started reading. 

Tsuna couldn’t breathe very well again and he felt dizzy and his chest hurt and he was so  _ scared.  _ He was having a flashback to what happened underneath the pool and Mukuro’s hands on him and how  _ violated _ he felt. It was a miracle when his mind started to drift. He knew he was starting to dissociate. 

But he remembered something Reborn had told him weeks before any of this started. He looked over at Gokudera reading and cleared his throat. Gokudera looked up curiously but Tsuna couldn’t make eye contact so he wasn’t sure if he was going to even be listening. But he needed to say something so Tsuna started talking breathlessly. 

“Reborn told me about how Angelo plays dirty and that when he was in that camp last time, some of the parents actually thought this was going to help their kid. They weren’t selling their kids to this group or anything. The people let the kids send letters home and the parents didn’t believe what the kids were saying about what was happening. Only one parent believed their kid though and they collected all of the letters and took them to the police. 

“The police came to the camp and Angelo pinned the entire thing on one person in the group so they arrested him but left the rest of the kids alone. After that, nobody was allowed to send letters. Whoever tried were hurt in front of everybody and the parents that told the police, their kid died in a car accident a week later. It took a few more weeks for Reborn to escape though so the police didn’t think it was connected.”

“Wait”, Gokudera muttered. “What happened to that person that the police arrested?”

“He was put in the big prison. I think Reborn said it was in Si-Siclary?” 

“Sicily! Of course! That’s where we are right now!” Gokudera bolted to his feet, talking fast. He looked at Tsuna, grinning. “I’ll be back, Tsuna. Don’t move from there.”

“Don’t leave me alone”, Tsuna muttered fearfully. He let his eyes flick to the locked door before he looked back at Gokudera. He nodded, going to the door.

“Okay, don’t worry. I’ll get somebody to keep you company in our room. You’re probably tired so take a rest.”

“I slept too long. I-I don’t need rest.”

Gokudera looked over his shoulder critically before he beckoned to somebody to walk over. Colonnello appeared in the doorway, looking confused. Gokudera explained in a low voice what was happening and he seemed to understand, walking into the room while Gokudera ran off.

“Hey, Tsuna!” Colonnello said. Tsuna flinched at the volume but gave a weak smile. “Do you mind if I sit down? I’m gonna keep you company, might as well be comfy while doing it.”

“Y-Yeah, I don’t mind”, Tsuna mumbled. He pulled his knees to his chest and tried to make himself as small as possible but he was falling asleep and kept leaning sideways. 

After ten minutes, Colonnello just pulled Tsuna to him, saying, “Reborn told me you’re more comfortable sleeping next to somebody so hopefully I’m a good substitute while Reborn’s gone, hey!”

Tsuna was already almost asleep and just mumbled a small, “Yeah”, before falling asleep. He dimly felt a blanket covering him and somebody sitting at his feet. Voices were talking over him too but it was a soft lull that helped him sleep better. 

Colonnello was asleep when he woke up again. He tried not to move, not wanting to wake the other. He felt heat rising up his neck as he realized how close the two were. He looked over to try and distract himself and saw Lal Mirch looking at him, just watching him. 

“Don’t tell Reborn about this. He’ll try to fight Colonnello.” Lal said. Tsuna laughed, feeling his face hurt from the smile. 

“Why would he be mad?” Tsuna asked curiously.

Lal gave a snort. “Colonnello has a habit of forgetting to ask people’s boundaries. He was livid when he found out Colonnello was trying to talk to you and was getting annoyed you wouldn’t actually say anything.”

“I thought he looked annoyed”, Tsuna said quietly. 

“In my defense, I didn’t know you had something wrong with your throat.” Colonnello spoke up. 

Tsuna flinched, falling onto the floor. Lal pushed Colonnello’s head forward so he wouldn’t laugh. It didn’t help as Tsuna also let out a small, weak laugh as he picked himself back up.

Gokudera ran back into the room then. He was grinning, panting with the exertion. Tsuna, Lal, and Colonnello all looked at each other, wondering what could possibly be so exciting.

“We found where Angelo is”, Gokudera said breathlessly. He leaned against his knees, trying to catch his breath. But it didn’t work as he started talking a mile a minute. “Tsuna, what you said. The person arrested last time...we got him on a secure phone line...he spilled everything. Angelo only has one other hiding spot besides the last camp. And it’s underneath a wind farm in-in Germany.”

Tsuna looked hopefully at Gokudera. “When are we leaving.”

“As soon as everybody knows.”

Tsuna hurried after Gokudera, Lal and Colonnello following at a slower pace. The two went and found everybody and directed them to meet in the dining room. Luce was already waiting with Mukuro and finally, Tsuna and Gokudera dropped into chairs beside Yamamoto. 

There was a buzz in the room as people tried to ask what was happening, trying to be heard first. Luce held up her hand and the noise slowly died. When it was silent, Luce cleared her throat, standing up to her full height.

“It’s come to our attention that Angelo has another hiding spot. In Berlin, they’re hiding within the mountains. I know that it is illegal for us to be doing this but I’ve got a few favours to call in with influential people that might help us pull this off.” Luce looked at Tsuna as she paused, looking sympathetic before she continued. “Mukuro and his cousin, Chrome, have a very influential family in the underground. Mukuro has agreed to get them to help us and they’ll be here shortly. In the meanwhile, all of you are to pack some things and get ready to leave within the next few hours.”

Everybody scrambled to get ready and Tsuna was trying to leave quickly but Luce called out to him, making him stop. 

“Tsuna, can you stay back a minute?” She asked.

He looked back and saw Mukuro still sitting and Luce walking around the table. She beckoned Tsuna to come closer and he did so cautiously, giving a wide berth to Mukuro’s chair as he walked by. 

“I need you to make amends with Mukuro before we leave”, Luce said. Tsuna stared at her, waiting for her to continue but she just stared back. “It’s getting foolish to be so afraid of him. Make amends so we can work towards getting Reborn back.”

She smiled in what she must’ve thought was a motherly way before leaving, closing the door behind her so Tsuna had no choice but to be alone with Mukuro. 

He hugged his arms around his stomach, tasting bile in his throat as he heard Mukuro get up. He tried to edge along the wall, away from him. But Mukuro blocked his way. Tsuna guessed he was trying to look friendly but Tsuna could never think of him like that. 

“I am sorry for what I’ve put you through”, Mukuro said. Tsuna didn’t move, staring at the opposite wall. “Being so afraid will just hinder what we’re trying to do, though. Luce is right. We have to forgive and forget.”

Tsuna felt his lip quiver and his voice shook as he spoke, “Do you know what it’s like to wake up terrified because it’s too dark? Or how I can’t smell chlorine without thinking about a pool and how underneath that...Do you know what it’s like to stay in the bath, scrubbing your legs just to get the feeling of hands off of you?”

“...I do not know those feelings.” Mukuro admitted evenly.

“How can you tell me to forgive you when Reborn had to guide me through a flashback that lasted  _ hours _ ”, Tsuna’s voice broke and he couldn’t talk anymore. His hands shook and he tried to leave. Mukuro caught his arms though so he couldn’t move. Tsuna let out a terrified whimper, going weak as he closed his eyes, waiting for Mukuro to snap and start guilting him. 

But Mukuro dropped his hands from Tsuna’s arms. He entwined their fingers together and looked longingly at their hands. “I never wanted to hurt you so much. I did care for you...But Angelo took Chrome from me. She’s the closest family member I have...They said the only way to get her back was to hurt Reborn. And the only way to do that was through you.”

“M-Me?” Tsuna said in disbelief. “What could I possibly-”

“He’s in love with you, Tsuna. I saw it. He hides his emotions well but when he’s tired...things slip.”

Tsuna yanked his hand out of Mukuro’s, looking furiously up at Mukuro. “So you only got close to me so you could get to Reborn?”

“Not at first…”

“That still doesn’t excuse it. You-You-” 

“I know what I did, Tsuna. It was directions from Angelo to do what I did. I’m not proud of it. I...regret it almost as much as what I put you through before Angelo.”

Mukuro tried to push hair behind Tsuna’s ear but Tsuna had had enough. He gave a disgusted look to Mukuro before ducking around him. Mukuro caught his wrist and started to say something but Tsuna didn’t care to listen any longer. 

“Next time,” Tsuna said harshly, looking back at Mukuro with angry tears in his eyes, “Next time you come near me and try to tell me to forgive you for ruining my already bad life, I’m not going to be so passive.”

Tsuna fled the room, hurrying back to his shared room. He walked in and immediately Yamamoto swooped in, checking to see if he had any bruises. Tsuna smiled sheepishly, dancing away from Yamamoto.

“I-I’m fine.” He had said. Yamamoto wasn’t believing it but he caught Yamamoto’s hands and gave a soft smile. “Really, it’s fine.”

“What did you two do. Do I have to find Mukuro?” Gokudera growled from his bed. 

Tsuna shook his head. He explained what happened, how Luce said to make amends, how Mukuro tried to coerce him into agreeing, everything. Tsuna told the story as he started packing a small backpack. He needed something to do with his hands. But he finished packing first. He finally looked up and saw Gokudera and Yamamoto absolutely  _ livid.  _ Tsuna blinked, shocked at the reaction. 

He faltered in his story and Gokudera said lowly, “If he ever comes near you again after we’re finished getting Reborn and the others…” He didn’t finish the threat but it was still sending chills down Tsuna’s spine.

Yamamoto looked equally as angry, his eyes narrowed and hostile as he said, “Don’t hesitate to call us, Tsuna. We won’t mind.”

“I-It’s fine! Don’t worry. Ms. Bianchi helped me a lot when she was teaching me self-defense. I think I’ll be able to do more this time around.”

The three soon finished packing, talking about what they could do to get Reborn out quickly. They weren’t sure what they were getting into but discussing things to do in case helped them stay on task and distract Tsuna. 

Everybody got back on a private plane this time. Mukuro had walked up front to greet the pilots while everybody else got situated. Tsuna tried to hide between Gokudera and Yamamoto but Mukuro still managed to sit near him. Tsuna couldn’t help but feel like Mukuro enjoyed doing this to Tsuna. 

Tsuna fell asleep the entire way so he was spared trying to avoid Mukuro’s eye. The three fell asleep leaning against each other and Tsuna was sure there would be at least one picture sent to him. 

They landed in Paris first. Tsuna was woken up so he could sit up and put on a seatbelt. They weren’t in Paris long though. They only stopped to load more people onto the plane. They filed in quietly, sitting near the back with Mukuro. They start discussing things in rapid Italian with Mukuro, almost interrogating him. 

The plane took off again and landed in Berlin by midnight. The people that got on in Paris were the first to get off and were urging everybody else to hurry up into the waiting cars. Mukuro directed all the drivers in German where to go before he got into a car with his family. 

It was tense in the cars. Everybody was on edge and excited. They were excited they were so close to getting Reborn back but they were also on edge because it was going to be dangerous. There was no telling what they were going to see. But they barely had time to think about what was to come as they were all being shunted into a mansion buried behind tall trees. Mukuro was already walking off and most of the family members were following. 

Staff hurried forward and took bags and people, guiding them to rooms and smiling happily as they chattered to them. It was completely lost on Tsuna and Yamamoto as they didn’t know any kind of German and looked helplessly at the retreating figures of Reborn’s siblings and Gokudera. They were all conversing in German, making the staff laugh. 

But they were soon shut in their rooms for the night. Tsuna and Yamamoto shared a cramped room with bunk beds. Tsuna stared in concern at the top bunk, knowing it’d be smarter for him to take it. But deep in his heart he knew that he’d fall off in the middle of the night if he did.

“I call top bunk!” Yamamoto said enthusiastically. He ran and hoisted himself up, sitting with a hunch so he wouldn’t hit the ceiling. 

“I can take the top…” Tsuna said in disbelief.

“Pshhhh,” Yamamoto said. “You won’t go blah out of your bed like this!”

Tsuna just shook his head, climbing into the bottom bed. He pulled the blankets closer to him, sighing as he hugged them tighter. He was so close to getting Reborn back but he was scared. Reborn was going to be different. There was no doubt about it. It had taken months for Reborn to finally open up to Tsuna. All of that trust could be gone though from these people making Reborn have no faith in anybody but himself. 

He knew it was selfish to be worried about how Reborn would act around him. He tried to forget about that fear, instead wondering how to help Reborn cope. There wasn’t much he could think of but Reborn had done so much for Tsuna. He refused to leave him hanging like that when Reborn would need him the most. 


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Idk what kind of warning I should put on here but if there are any lmk!! I don't want any of you to be hurt from this :0  
> -Gate

Everybody left the next night. They wanted to leave under darkness so it’d be harder to track them. Berlin was always bustling regardless of the time so it was easy to fall into the traffic. Tsuna felt himself nervously picking at his sweater, wrapping a loose cord around his finger again and again. Half the reason he was so anxious was because Mukuro was in the car he was and the other half being that he could very well be about to fight.

Before they had all left, Verde pulled Tsuna aside. Tsuna had never really talked with Verde so he had no idea what was happening. But he was handed a small bottle with ten pills inside. 

“These should help your breathing when running.” Verde said. He was cool and efficient as he talked. “I designed them to suppress your asthma and help your lungs expand more without pain.”

“Why did you-?” Tsuna started to ask.

“Luce suggested I do it and I had nothing better to do. Might as well give us an advantage so I can go back home quicker.” Verde shrugged, walking off. He was staying behind in Germany with Luce so that they could have a command centre with Mukuro’s family.

Tsuna felt the pills pressing against his side in his pocket and he took them out again, turning the bottle around and around in his hands. He had been told briefly to take one before he started fighting, right before they infiltrated Angelo’s base, but he still wasn’t sure if he could trust them. They hadn’t been tested most likely so there would be side effects. It was the best they had though and it’d be helpful that Tsuna wasn’t a weaker link.

It was a requirement that Tsuna came in the first place. He was content to stay back in command centre. But Luce had suggested that if Tsuna was the one Reborn saw if he was being woken up in the base, it’d be easier for things to go there way. Tsuna was the person Reborn trusted the most, Tsuna wanted to argue that but everybody had agreed when that was stated. 

“We’ll be there in a few minutes, Tsuna.” Mukuro said from beside him. Tsuna flinched, looking up quickly before going back to staring determinedly at the floor. 

“Alright”, was all he said.

The rest of the ride was quiet. Tsuna was somehow forced into the car with Mukuro’s family. Everybody else were in other cars following behind. Tsuna had tried to slip back out but it was too late as he was stuck, the door closing behind him. Mukuro slipped in the other side so there was no hope for him to leave. Two people were in the front and they were solemn faced and quiet the entire way. Tsuna was forced to anxiously look out the window, avoiding eye contact or any sort of conversation with Mukuro the best as possible. 

The beautiful scenery was the only solace. Forests sailed by and buildings and farms slowly became more and more present. They had to travel far out in the countryside to find where they were going. The base they were told about, it was underneath a dusty and old church. Mukuro’s family had drawn up a map of the place from what the one counsellor said it looked like, giving a perfect replica according to the counsellor when he was shown it. The map was stashed safely in Gokudera’s jacket in another car where they had studied it for hours. 

The windmills were coming clearer and more frequent now and Tsuna felt his entire body stiffen. He was so scared to be going so close to the people that had hurt Reborn  _ so much.  _ He was scared to see what had happened to Reborn. He wasn’t dead, he knew that for a fact. Killing Reborn would be too easy. But it was almost favourable to find him dead because then he wouldn’t have to suffer anymore.

Tsuna knew he would be coming back with a plethora of problems. This was Reborn’s worst fear come back to life. Quite a few times Reborn had woken up, shaking, from a nightmare. Reborn never told Tsuna what they were about but now...Tsuna didn’t  _ want  _ to know what horrors had happened.

The car stopped, the gravel crunching finitely. The two people in front turned to Mukuro and spoke fast German. Mukuro seemed neutral and answered without emotion. Only when they heard cars behind them, stopping on the gravel path off behind trees, did they stop talking. Mukuro motioned for Tsuna to get out as he opened his own door. Tsuna scrambled out as fast as he could, his hands shaking as he waited for Yamamoto and Gokudera to step out and stand by him. 

He found that they calmed him down when Reborn wasn’t there. The three had bonded a lot more the last few weeks and Tsuna finally felt like he had friends he could count on. He wished he could say the same for Mukuro. He hated how scared he got near Mukuro and wished it would stop but...it didn’t work like that. 

Mukuro turned to Tsuna and the group when everybody was settled and said, “We need to split up into two groups. There are two entrances. I’ll mark them off; give me the map.”

Gokudera pulled the map out, spreading it onto the hood of a car. It was just becoming light out so they could see what was being pointed out. Mukuro leaned against the hood, too close for Tsuna’s tastes.

“The guards will be switching over about the time we get there; it’ll be easier for us to go in because of that. Gokudera, Yamamoto, Colonnello, Mammon, and Skull will go to the south entrance. That’s the smaller one so not as many people will be there. You can get the other half of the kids being kept there. The rest of us will go near the north entrance. When we go inside, I’ll take Tsuna through to where Reborn is being held with Fon and Analeese.”

One of the people raised their hand, signalling that they were Analeese.

“What happens if we’re spotted?” Gokudera asked. “Where could we run to or hide in here?”

Mukuro pointed to multiple niches in the map. Tsuna was surprised how detailed it was considering that they’d never been inside before. “These spots are closets and rooms used for...other things. They aren’t regulated and nobody looks into them as they’re pushed off to the side. You can all split up and have one hide in there and wait in ambush for somebody to try to come inside.”

Gokudera nodded, satisfied. 

Mukuro rolled up the map. “Anymore questions?”

There was a soft, murmured no from everybody. Mukuro nodded, turning to the two that had sat up front. They were speaking German again. Colonnello looked confused as he snapped his head over to where they were standing, narrowing his eyes suspiciously. He looked away before they noticed though and murmured something to Lal Mirch, who was standing beside him and had seen everything. 

Tsuna was too scared to do anything other than stand there, shaking. He didn’t want to be alone with Mukuro without Yamamoto or Gokudera. They were the only people he knew really well here. Lal and Fon were going to be with him but he was still scared. Mukuro was too close to him and nobody cared about how he felt towards him.

Yamamoto slung an arm around Tsuna, smiling as usual. “Don’t worry, Tsuna! It’ll be fine. You’re really good at booshing people in the face. You’ll get Reborn in no time.” 

“That’s not what I’m worried about”, Tsuna said softly. Yamamoto squeezed his shoulder gently before he let go, looking down sympathetically.

“It’s only for a bit”, Gokudera said. He gave a confident smile to match Yamamoto’s. 

“We’ll be here for you when you get back though! And we’ll have Reborn too!” Yamamoto exclaimed.

Tsuna couldn’t help but smile at the two’s optimism. It was contagious and Tsuna breathed a little easier. They’d get Reborn. There was no doubt in his mind. And soon, Mukuro would be out of his life again.

The group had to trek into the woods, following a path to the church. There were farms all around them so finding the right path was not the easiest task but they managed it, creeping into the ditches on either side of the path just in case somebody came by. Tsuna was the quietest in the bunch for once as he took extra caution not to trip or step on anything like dry branches as they went. 

Soon the path lead into a field with a broken stone church. It was small and looked like it had been deserted for decades but there was a small padlock on the door that was too new. 

Analeese was the one to step over to it, followed closely by the driver in Tsuna’s car. They stepped inside, disappearing. The group waited for half an hour before Mukuro had a text on his phone from the two. 

“We’re clear”, Mukuro said. “If you’re entering from the south, go to the entrance near the last pew on the right side. The rest follow after me.”

Nobody argued and filed in. The church was dusty, an inch of dirt on everything. It made it easy to see the path of footprints leading to the alter. There was rough redwood for the floor and the pews were made of the same kind of wood. The darkness made it easy to hide the small hatch hidden behind the last pew. There were wood accents along the entire thing. There was once cushions lining the rest of it but it had moulded or been chewed through. The wood accents were still there though and there was a small button on the underside of the accent. It was near the end by the door in the floor. Mukuro pressed it so it opened and the group filed through.

Tsuna edged along behind Lal, trying to put as many people between him and Mukuro as possible. They all filed into the door near the alter. There was a similar mechanism with a button you push for the floor to open. Tsuna was the second last on to file through and he was crawling down a tunnel on a ladder. He wasn’t sure where it lead but when the hatch closed, it was incredibly dark. The only way they managed to make their way down the steps was because it was metal and easy to step onto. 

As they went deeper, Tsuna felt himself become more and more ready. He wasn’t sure if it was anxiety or adrenaline or maybe both. But he wasn’t going to let Reborn and everybody else stay in this place any longer. 

They landed in what seemed to be the entrance. There was a deserted hall on either side of them with lights along the floor so you could where you were going. There was rock as the walls, tiling as the floor. Doors were scarce, if at all present in this spot. There was distant noises of hums, yells, and drills. They didn’t question what it was for. 

Mukuro lead them through the halls easily. Tsuna guessed he might’ve been here before. He wasn’t sure how Mukuro could remember where to go though as the entire thing was a dizzying maze of rock and tile. 

They heard footsteps walking ahead of them and Analeese stepped forward, pushed a small mirror around the corner ahead of them. She jerked her elbow back and Mukuro nodded. He motioned for everybody to follow him and they crept back down the hall, back around a corner out of sight of anybody coming ahead of them. 

There was a commotion ahead where a guard said something in Italian before there was a grunt and the sound of something hitting flesh. There was a thump before Analeese was dragging the guard around the corner and into one of the many rooms along this hall. 

They kept going and dragged any guards they met into a room. Verde had disabled the cameras throughout the entire facility so there was nothing watching them. As they had predicted, the guard change over was happening so next to nobody was around. 

Finally, they made it to a big open room with a hall leading up into a clean hall. In the room there was a set of bars caging kids in. The ones that were awake were glued to the wall, fear in their eyes and face. 

One kid stepped forward, pointing towards Tsuna. They held a picture and offered it through the bars. Tsuna stepped forward, accepting the photo gently. Reborn’s handwriting was on the back in Italian so Tsuna couldn’t read it but the picture was of him and Reborn. They had gone on a date and took a picture in a photo booth. Tsuna had the other two but this one Reborn was smiling along with Tsuna. Reborn wanted to keep this one, insisting that Tsuna looked cutest in this one. 

Tsuna breathed in, putting the picture in his pocket. He smiled at the person through the bars and stepped away for Lal to open the door. She could pick locks and the entire time she was unlocking the door, she was explaining what she would do in English. The kids that didn’t know English had it translated as the buzz of excitement erupted in the cell.

“Tsuna, let’s go. Reborn’s this way.” Mukuro called. 

Tsuna stiffened, closing his eyes briefly before he turned, waving slightly to everybody inside before he jogged back to the rest of the group. Lal and the driver would stay back to help Lal heard everybody out while the rest went down the next hall. Tsuna took his pills out of his pocket as he followed, managing to dry swallow two. 

“Hey! What the hell are you doing in here!” Somebody screamed. 

Mukuro whipped around, throwing a knife towards the voice and somebody was pinned to the wall by their hand. They had a scream building in their throat but Fon was faster as he hit a pressure point in the neck, making them slump to the ground unconscious. 

Mukuro took his knife back before they kept going. Nurses were walking through and they were the only nuisance that Mukuro and Fon dealt with every time. There were windows on every wall, looking into every room and it was painstaking looking through all of them, trying to find Reborn. 

Before they could though, quite a few people were filing into the hall, stopping in shock at the group. The four grouped up, covering everybody’s back. The people paused before they surged forward as one. 

Tsuna dodged around a punch, elbowing the person in the groin before aiming at the gut. They groaned and doubled over, making it easy for Tsuna to knock them unconscious. He danced around yet another hit, dropping to the ground before shooting up and knocking his head against the underneath of somebody’s jaw. They stumbled back, holding it, and Tsuna body slammed them against the wall with all his weight. They stumbled and crashed into a nearby gurney. They were also knocked out. 

The number of people slowly went down until Tsuna was being yelled at to run through and keep going. He didn’t argue as he ran, sliding through legs before he was sprinting down the hall. Nobody had any firearms surprisingly so he was safe to sprint through, looking into windows. 

He went through all three wings and not a single person even resembled Reborn. Tsuna paused at the end of the last wing. He leaned against the wall, panting and sweating. He felt his eyes sting but he tried to breathe, ignoring the panic attack he knew was going to happen. This wasn’t the  _ time.  _ He needed to keep going. 

And so he did. He ran back through and down the hall, through the wings again, and back to where Fon, Mukuro, and Analeese were all standing among unconscious people. Fon was helping Analeese push them to the side. When they saw Tsuna run back, they straightened, looking perplexed as to why Reborn wasn’t with him.

“He’s not here!” Tsuna yelled. He stopped, still panting. “I checked...I checked all the windows to every room. All three spots. He-He isn’t...He’s not here…”

Tsuna’s shoulders slumped helplessly and he wiped his eyes on his sleeve. Fon walked forward offering a comforting arm on his shoulders. They stood there for a moment before they heard a soft, “aha”, from Mukuro. 

“What is it?” Fon asked.

“I know where Reborn is. I’ll take Tsuna-”

“No, you will not”, Fon interrupted firmly. He glared at Mukuro, who stared back. 

“Fine, all of us will go then. Reborn’s in one of the rooms. They put him in a private room so people couldn’t see in if they accidentally wander in.”

“How will we know what room he’s in?” Tsuna asked.

“Trial and error.” Mukuro shrugged. “He’ll be kept near everybody else most likely so we’ll check that part first.”

Everybody filed back down the hall. The cage was standing open and the place was still deserted. There was a guard crumpled in a pile without clothes on though. Tsuna could only guess what happened there. 

There was a hall with three doors. Mukuro went to the farthest one; Analeese went to the next one, their blonde hair swishing as they walked; and Fon went to the last one. Tsuna watched anxiously from the head of the hall to make sure nobody would sound the alarm before they were done. 

Mukuro unlocked his door, peeking inside. The inside had the same reddish, grey speckled tile of the hall covering the entire room. There was a bed inside but it was empty, only a bare mattress on top of a frame inside. 

Analeese had similar luck. There was an identical room with the same tile and another empty bed, but this one had the stench of bleach and acetone. 

Fon was the last one to unlock his door. When it swung forward he breathed a sigh of relief. Reborn was glaring at the door, holding himself up against the frame of the bed. Tsuna peeked behind Fon, just to make sure and was pushed in, the door shutting behind Tsuna. 

“What are you doing here?” Reborn asked suspiciously. 

“I-I couldn’t just leave you.” Tsuna said. He stepped towards the bed and held his hand out. His eyes welled as he said, “I love you too much to let you s-suffer here.”

“I can’t walk, Tsuna. I’m not supposed to move.” 

“I’ll carry you then. There’s no way you’re staying here. Everybody else is gone. All we need is you, Reborn.”

He looked at the ceiling, his breathing picking up. He sat up, motioning for Tsuna to come closer. “You need to untie my legs first. The rope’s on my thighs but they take your clothes as a humiliation tactic.”

Tsuna nodded. Reborn closed his eyes before he pushed the thin blanket off of him. He started working on his left leg while Tsuna undid the right. They only had to undo the top knot so it didn’t take long before Reborn was swinging his legs over the side. Tsuna pulled the blanket off and wrapped it around Reborn’s shoulders before grabbing Reborn’s hands, hoisting him up gently. 

Reborn sagged against Tsuna immediately. Tsuna barely managed to hold himself up. Reborn had lost a lot of weight though so he wasn’t as hard to support. 

“I got you”, Tsuna muttered. He heard Reborn laugh dazedly before they were carefully stepping towards the door. Reborn made strained groans with every step and Tsuna felt anger boil inside him. How dare these people do so much to Reborn. 

Fon took Reborn’s other arm when they walked out. They made their way slowly along, Analeese behind them and Mukuro guiding them out. Tsuna wasn’t sure how Reborn was going to climb a ladder to get out if this was hard. 

They didn’t talk. Reborn had sweat dripping down his face from the exertion and he was barely aware of anything going on. He was so concentrated on just  _ leaving  _ that nothing else mattered. Halfway through they had to stop so Reborn could sit down, catch his breath for just a moment. Tsuna sat by him the entire time. He only offered his hand but Reborn was shaking too much. He slumped over against Tsuna instead until they had to get up again. 

“We have to keep going, I hear somebody”, Mukuro announced. 

Tsuna tensed slightly at the sound of Mukuro’s voice but Reborn tugged on his arm. He needed help getting up so Tsuna pushed everything to the back of his mind and held his hands out to hoist Reborn up. He collapsed against Tsuna immediately as he stood up but Fon helped take the weight off of Tsuna so they could keep going.

They didn’t make it far though. There was a rush of footsteps and they heard screams and yells and the sounds of flesh hitting the ground. The entire group paused, looking all around them. 

Three people came from behind and another three could be seen walking down the hall. Reborn made a small sound at the back of his throat before he dropped to his knees. Tsuna was brought down with him and he was the only thing holding Reborn up as he shook worse, tears gathering in his eyes.

“Viola always was dramatic”, somebody said.

Tsuna jerked his head up towards the voice. He knew that voice. It was the personal that always taunted him on the phone. Tsuna stood up, putting himself between the person. He didn’t know their name, he was never told, but he didn’t care. All that mattered was that they never touched Reborn ever again.

“Just let us go”, Tsuna heard Reborn whisper. 

Everybody had closed around the group. There was no getting away easily. Mukuro didn’t seem concerned though as he looked the leader dead in the face.

“We had a deal”, He said.

The leader looked thoughtful before sighing. “Oh, very well. I’m a man of my word. And actually a man! Please follow these two lovely people to where Chrome is.”

“You’re only here for-?” Tsuna started angrily. He cut himself off, not sure how to finish. Mukuro glanced back with a slight smirk, shrugging. He always did that. Never really answered or gave an infuriating half answer before dropping the conversation. 

He left with Analeese, down a hall and around a corner. Tsuna was glad to see the back of him. 

“Now, now, Tsunayoshi”, the leader piped up. “There’s no need to be like that. You can stay here too if you want. Nobody’s stopping you.”

“Reborn doesn’t deserve anything he’s getting, no matter what you think. You’ve done enough to Reborn as it is.” Tsuna stepped forward, edging in front of Reborn so he was blocked from the leader’s view. 

Fon stepped away as well, making himself known. He’d been so silent Tsuna almost forgot he was there. 

“There is no need for useless fighting and pain.” Fon said, “Reborn has, as Tsuna said, been through enough. If we part ways now, you will be able to escape and so will we. There’s nothing beneficial for us to keep going as it is.” 

“Mm, that’s no fun.” The leader nodded to the people surrounding the three. “Hold them down.”

Tsuna gasped as he felt people rush onto him. He didn’t have enough time to react so he was pinned with a knee on his back, hands holding his arms and legs down. Fon was luckier though as he was able to dodge through the hands easily but the people that had gone towards Reborn went towards Fon instead. 

Fon had started fighting back instead but was quickly overpowered. There had been five people on top of him until he was finally still. He looked calm but his breathing had picked up and his hands shook just slightly.

“Now”, the leader announced. He walked closer to Tsuna as he talked. His black lacquered shoes clicked on the tile and his blue eyes were almost translucent in the dim light. “What I’d like to do is teach Reborn a lesson about obedience.”

“What are you-?” Reborn rasped. 

The leader motioned for the person holding Tsuna down to stand up.  He did, leaving Tsuna panting on the ground. 

Without any warning, the leader stomped onto Tsuna’s hand. Tsuna barely held back from screaming until his hand was released and he was being kicked in the ribs. The velocity made him skid along the tile, bumping the wall. He sat up but the leader took him by the hair and threw him back to where he was. He slide along the floor again, landing near Reborn. 

Tsuna sat up unsteadily, his arms shaking just holding his weight. There was no warning for any of this and Reborn sat, frozen in shock. He didn’t know what to do. For the first time in his life he  _ didn’t know. _ He was always the one people turned to for help. He should be able to do something.

But he couldn’t. He just stared dazedly as Tsuna was getting hurt; hearing him retch as he got kicked yet again in the abdomen; seeing bruises starting to form along his arms and face. 

Finally, the leader picked Tsuna up by the throat, pressing him to the wall. Tsuna tried to kick, scratch, bite, do anything for him to let go. When he started to go limp, only then did he hear a shaky voice say, “Stop…”

Tsuna was dropped where he gasped, clawing at his throat as he regained his vision. Reborn was kneeling exactly where he was, staring at Tsuna desperately. 

“Please”, Reborn said in a shaky whisper. “Don’t hurt him. He has nothing to do with this.”

The leader seemed thoughtful. He put his foot onto Tsuna’s back and pushed him into the dirt until he was struggling to regain any air. “I think he has  _ everything  _ to do with this. You see, Tsunayoshi here is the most important person to you. Last time it was Bianchi, now it’s Tsuna. We always try to target the special interests of our clients. We need to get to your very core for you to change. And what better way than to threaten who you love? It’s one of the main reasons we got you in the first place.”

“I get it. You hate me and everything I am. Take it out on me. I’m the one that ratted you out in the first place. I’m the one that killed your wife. Tsuna and I hadn’t even met when that happened.”

“See you’re just not understanding the dynamics, Viola!” The leader lifted his foot from Tsuna’s back and walked over to Reborn. He plopped down in front Reborn and pulled on one of Reborn’s sideburns. “If I hurt Tsuna, I hurt you! And that’s my end goal here.”

“I know”, Reborn muttered. “I get it though. I’ll go with you to your new camp. Just-Just leave Tsuna out of this...please.”

Reborn’s voice broke at the end of his sentence. Tsuna closed his eyes, trying to regain his breath and think of something,  _ anything _ , he could say to stall. He couldn’t lose Reborn. He’d most likely be dead if it weren’t for Reborn. 

There was a second rush of footsteps from either side of the group. The leader looked confusedly at the people on top of Fon, who all looked just as clueless. They loosened their hold just slightly and that was enough for Fon to attack all of them, swiftly and efficiently taking all five out. They were all unconscious as the police in full on SWAT gear converged on the tunnel, followed closely by Gokudera, Yamamoto, Lal, and Colonnello. 

Yamamoto and Gokudera pounced on top of the leader, holding him down the minute he tried to escape. Lal was beside Reborn, checking his eyes. Colonnello went to Tsuna though, helping him stand up and looking to see if he was okay.

Tsuna didn’t care though and rushed to Reborn the minute he’d come to enough through his haze. He was barely awake. The stitches he’d gotten had broken open and he’d started bleeding an alarming amount. The police were trying to ask him questions but he could barely stand as he was swaying where he sat. 

Tsuna sat beside him, asking softly, “Hey, still with me?”

Reborn breathed out. He didn’t have the energy to laugh like he wanted to. He fell back and Tsuna slipped behind him to hold him up. Reborn rested his head into Tsuna’s neck, his breathing shallow and quick. Tsuna ran his hands though Reborn’s hair, looking up at Fon hopelessly. Fon nodded, turning to Lal, muttering something in Italian. 

Lal turned to the police officers, shouting what Fon had just said to her at them. Two rushed forward, first aid kits in hand. They ignored Tsuna and started working on staunching the blood flow. Reborn’s eyes fluttered and he started breathing heavier. He gripped Tsuna’s hands in fear, trying to anchor himself. 

The thing he focused on to keep him awake through the haze of pain was Tsuna. His hands gripping back just as tightly, the small frown he had whenever Reborn let out a slightly louder sound of pain, the hair glued to his forehead at the exertion it took to support Reborn; the soft 5 o’clock shadow Tsuna had. He’d never noticed that before. He reached up, touching Tsuna’s face and Tsuna cupped Reborn’s hand. He smiled tenderly and that’s all Reborn needed It was the only thing Reborn could focus on.

“Keep smiling”, Reborn mumbled.

Finally, it was the time for Reborn to get up so they could actually leave. He refused to be touched by anybody but Tsuna anymore so they were forced to help Reborn limp along. When it got to the ladder, only then did Reborn let him be carried as he was carefully carried up the lander and handed off to a waiting Skull. 

Even in his half-conscious state, Reborn still never missed a chance to be mean to Skull; muttering, “If I hear one damn word about you carrying me, I’ll put super glue in your liquid lipstick again.”

All of them trekked out into the field beyond the church. A group of people were huddled together near an ambulance where a group of paramedics went through, checking vitals. A few stood up and cheered when they saw Reborn and he waved tiredly. 

Fon and Tsuna helped Reborn lay on the ground so paramedics could rush in. Tsuna had meant to sit back but Reborn looked straight at him, grabbing Tsuna’s shirt and muttering harshly, “Don’t leave me alone.”

Tsuna closed his hands around Reborn’s. He kissed it gently and he felt Reborn relax slightly. His eyes softened and he slumped against Tsuna, his hand refusing to leave Tsuna’s shirt.

“Don’t worry”, Tsuna said. He hugged Reborn to him, whispering, “I promise I won’t.”


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw: self harm mention, ptsd mention  
> didnt have an editor but im tired and want attention so what up!!!

It was a flurry of activity for Tsuna the next few weeks. Apparently a side effect for the pills Verde gave him was he’d have a severe asthma attack once they wore off. That put a damper on a lot of things as the police were angrily trying to get in touch with the entire group. Mukuro and his family had successfully gotten the group back to their own family owned hospital before the police caught wind of everything that had happened. 

Reborn wasn’t put inside of an ambulance after he was looked over by paramedics. He, even in his hazy and half asleep state, had a firm grip on Tsuna’s shirt and refused to let go. One paramedic tried to pry his hand off but Tsuna heard him let out a small whimper. After that Tsuna had to have Reborn sitting against him for the entire ride to the hospital. The first aid Reborn had been given was enough to hold him, one paramedic said, so that was the only reason it was even allowed. 

Tsuna nervously ran his hands through Reborn’s hair, feeling him breathing become calmer as they started driving. Reborn wasn’t asleep but he definitely wasn’t awake enough to even be able to participate in a lengthy conversation. He mumbled some stuff to Tsuna occasionally but that was the extent of his conversation. 

They were taken to one of the hospitals and Reborn was immediately taken away. Tsuna was pushed off into another room so he could be looked after by nurses as well. Everybody else mulled around in the waiting room, on the edge of their seat. The nurses refused to say anything and by the time morning was around, they had all been forced to leave so they could get sleep and food. 

It wasn’t like it mattered though as Reborn had been put in a medical coma. They weren’t sure how long they would have him under but the extent of his injuries and how much pain he had been in was a problem. The doctor was shocked that Reborn was even  _ alive  _ with how much blood and bruising there was. 

“There’s so much stress on her heart, this kid shouldn’t have made it this long.” A nurse muttered in shock to nobody in particular as he worked on treating Reborn.

It was more likely that he’d be in a coma for almost a week though. If he was allowed to be awake, he would keep fainting anyways. Some of the nurses were almost glad he would be under for so long though as when they had tried to treat the cuts along his labia, he shifted and started thrashing at the nurses. 

Two nurses had to hold his arms while a third tried to talk to him. He was delirious and not even thinking, just acting on pure instinct. Whenever anybody had been near him that looked like a doctor they had hurt him. He didn’t want anybody near him. 

“He came in and had to be pried off a kid! Somebody go find him!” The nurse holding Reborn’s arms yelled.

The one trying to talk to Reborn sprinted away, coming back a minute later with Tsuna being dragged. He had bandages half on his lip and cheek and looked confused at the situation. He seemed to understand though as he was pushed towards Reborn and everybody backed off. Reborn’s chest heaved as his eyes flicked open. They looked unfocused as he stared at the ceiling.

Tsuna stepped forward and got into Reborn’s line of vision, giving a small wave. “You don’t like doctors”, Tsuna said. Reborn nodded even though it wasn’t a question.

“Hurt me...too much”, Reborn muttered thickly. 

Tsuna smiled knowingly. “Do you want me to sit with you while you calm down?”

Reborn nodded again. Tsuna moved forward and carefully pulled the blanket bunched at the end of the bed on top of Reborn. Tsuna had no idea why there even was a blanket when Reborn most likely would need stitches again and all kinds of medical attention but he knew that Reborn would appreciate being covered. It gave him something to focus on and a sense of security. 

“These doctors aren’t like the ones you’ve seen before.” Tsuna muttered. He ran his hands through Reborn’s hair, sitting near Reborn’s head. “They might hurt you a little now but in the long run it’s supposed to help. You need...a lot of help, Reborn.”

“Know...I know”, Reborn said through pants. He was starting to calm down with Tsuna there though and he managed to move his head so it was buried in Tsuna’s stomach. 

“Is it okay if they put you to sleep now? I’ll be here the entire time, don’t worry. When you wake up, I might be asleep myself. I can feel an asthma attack coming as my chest is tighter. So don’t panic too much, okay?” 

Reborn nodded and let his arms drop to his side again. Tsuna motioned for one of the nurses to come forward but blanked when he tried to explain what he needed.

“ _ Sleep _ ”, Reborn called out in Italian. 

The nurse looked confused until she asked, “You want to be put to sleep?”

Reborn nodded and gave a soft hum in approval. She walked around the bed with a syringe and stuck it into the crook of Reborn’s left arm. He gave a soft sigh before he became completely limp. 

After that, the nurses shunted Tsuna out of the room and continued working on Reborn. He was in stable condition by the end of the night and had managed to get him a personal room where a cop stood guard outside at all times. 

Like Tsuna had predicted, he had an asthma attack right as the nurse had finished bandaging him. He had a sprained wrist and two fractured ribs along with almost black bruises along a lot of his body. She was nice and knew immediately what to do, giving Tsuna some of the best medical service he’s had when he had an asthma attack. 

He was out of commission for a few days though. None of his immediate family was near him so he was alone with his thoughts whenever he was awake. He tried to avoid that though as he got too overwhelmed and just slept a lot. 

When he was finally up and walking, he tried to go see Reborn immediately. He walked around the entire hospital until he saw the policeman that was stationed outside of a top floor private room. He walked over, peeking through the curtains and saw Reborn asleep and somebody sitting at his bedside. He had never seen the person sitting there in his life but Tsuna had a vague feeling that Reborn and the person were related. The little Tsuna could see of their face, they looked strikingly familiar to Reborn, having the same high cheekbones, slim nose, pointed chin, and slanted and small eyes. Her eyes were bright blue though. She turned to look at the window, smiling coldly. 

He heard somebody coming down the hall and looked behind him curiously. Somebody was rolling themself down the hall, looking just as confused at Tsuna being there then he was. He stopped, looking up at Tsuna asking in Italian, “ _ Who are you? _ ”

“I-I don’t understand”, Tsuna said in Japanese. 

The person seemed to understand and quickly switched to Japanese, repeating, “Who are you?”

“S-Sawada Tsunayoshi?”

“You don’t sound so sure!” The person laughed raucously, clapping Tsuna in the back. “I kid, I kid. I’m Rin Sinclair. Are you a friend of my son?”

“Y-Yeah, you could say that”, Tsuna said nervously. “Reborn said his parents weren’t allowed to see him for safety reasons.”

Rin frowned, his eyes flicking to the room. He turned so the person inside couldn’t see his face as he said, “I would prefer to have called Reborn instead of being here. He doesn’t trust us, as he shouldn’t. I didn’t know my wife did what she did until it was too late. But we got a call saying we were the next of kin on the list. She jumped at the chance to see him again, dragged me along.”

“Why are you still…”

“Together? Oh, can’t afford to divorce her. Marriage is the curse I can’t quite get rid of yet. I’m paralyzed from the waist down so I can’t exactly just leave with no consequences. Gotta plan it in advanced. In the meantime, I’m here to make sure she doesn’t hurt nobody else.”

Tsuna blinked in shock before he gave a shy smile. Rin smiled back, turning to the door. “Let’s go in, I’ll let you say hi to Reborn. What was your name again, son?”

“Just call me Tsuna, please.”

“Alright then, Tsuna. Nice to meet you. I doubt you’ve heard much about me so good to know we’re starting fresh.”

“Reborn said you were nice but not much else. He doesn’t talk much about when he was younger.”

“Can’t say he even remembers it very well. He’d been showing signs of depression long before puberty and was always staring off into space. Never managed to get him correct help before he was gone.”

“He has medication...he hasn’t taken it in weeks though.”

They entered the room and the person, Reborn’s mom Tsuna guessed, stood up with a smile. It was warm but Tsuna wasn’t fooled knowing what this woman had done. He didn’t return the smile, just walking past her to the other side where there was a second chair. He sat down, gently taking Reborn’s hand for a minute. He squeezed Reborn’s hand and he felt a soft squeeze back before he let go. Reborn was barely conscious.

“ _ And who might you be? _ ” The woman asked in Italian. Tsuna looked up questioningly and Rin translated what she said.

“Sawada Tsunayoshi. Call me Tsuna.”

“ _ And why are you in here? It’s immediate family only, little boy. _ ”

“ _ He’s friends with Reborn, dear. _ ” Rin butted in. 

The woman stared at him in annoyance, snapping, “ _ It’s immediate family only! He’s not allowed here. I want him gone! _ ”

Tsuna looked at the woman in confusion, hearing the back and forth. He had no idea what was being said but he knew it wasn’t pleasant. Her face had morphed into an angry grimace but Rin didn’t seem phased, like he was used to this treatment. It took a few minutes before she finally grumbled and sat back down, huffily starring Tsuna down as he talked with Rin. 

Rin apparently was the one to teach Reborn half of the languages he knew. He used to tour with the Canadian military, going to different countries to talk about history of the military. When he was in southern Asia, he had contracted a disease that left him paralyzed from the neck down. He had only managed to regain full mobility from his waist above, leaving him stuck to his wheelchair. He didn’t seem bothered by it though as he brushed off the thought that it was hard.

“Life’s hard, just gotta make the best of it. No need to mope when I had to take care of Reborn here.” Rin said cheerfully. 

Tsuna felt a little more welcome to go back into Reborn’s room thanks to Rin being there. Reborn’s mom, who Tsuna later learned was named Veronica, still seemed determined to have him gone but Rin being there was the only thing keeping her quiet. 

It really had been a week that Reborn was left to sleep though. Tsuna was told that he would probably try to move too much, disrupting the healing he needed to do. Everything needed to scab more before he was allowed to move around so having him sleeping and still was the best option. When he was set to wake up though, a nurse came in and put padded restrains onto Reborn’s limbs.

“Why are you doing that?” Tsuna asked. 

The nurse looked up, not understanding, before continuing to tighten everything. 

“Reborn would probably try to hurt some of the nurses if he was groggy and they were taking blood.” Mukuro said from the doorway. 

Tsuna flinched, looking at the door fearfully. Rin and Veronica were gone somewhere so it was only Tsuna in the room. The nurse left without a word, having checked Reborn’s chart quickly and refilled all the IVs. Tsuna clenched the bars to the bed, looking at the blankets determinedly. 

“There’s no need to be like that, Tsunayoshi. This is my family’s hospital.”

Tsuna didn’t answer. Mukuro would keep trying to push him no matter what he did. Mukuro seemed to stop caring about pushing his buttons though as he walked off soon after that. Tsuna sank to the ground, leaning his head against the railing. He breathed out shakily, his legs shaking as he crouched there.

He wasn’t sure how long he stayed like that but he only realized time had passed because he heard Reborn pull against his restraints. 

Tsuna stood up, leaning over so he was in Reborn’s vision. He looked tired and his eyes were furrowed as he pulled his arm against the bed.

“They said it’s better for you to be retrained.” Tsuna said. 

Reborn sucked in a shaky breath, staring straight above him as he said, “Take them off.”

“What?”

“Please, Tsuna.” Reborn mumbled. “ _ Please _ ”

Tsuna hesitated, his hands hovering over the clasps. He looked back up and saw Reborn almost crying though, his chest heaving in his attempt to stay calm. Tsuna hurriedly undid all of them pushing them off the side so Reborn couldn’t even see them. Reborn seemed to breath easier but he was staring unfocused at the ceiling. 

“Do you want to be alone?” Tsuna asked.

Reborn shook his head, shifting just slightly so Tsuna could sit down. He did and Reborn buried his face into Tsuna’s chest, quietly crying. 

Tsuna hugged Reborn to his chest, running his hands through his hair to try and calm him down. Tsuna couldn’t  _ stand  _ the thought that Reborn was so broken down. This was the first time that Reborn had ever actually cried around Tsuna and he knew that it was directly linked to Angelo. He felt his blood boil at the thought that they had hurt Reborn so much. 

It took almost an hour for Reborn to be able to calm down. He kept thinking about how scared and tense he had felt the entire time he’d been gone and he couldn’t breathe and he was shaking and crying and felt his entire stomach twist at each memory. Tsuna didn’t ask what happened or what was wrong though so Reborn could finally tell Tsuna what had made him this upset. 

Finally, Tsuna pulled away gently so he could grab some tissues. He offered them to Reborn so he could wipe his face and he gave a watery smile.

“Thanks”, He muttered thickly. 

Tsuna smiled brightly, giving Reborn a small kiss to his hair. He froze, pulling back immediately. He looked horrified and said hurriedly, “Sorry, you probably don’t want to be touched too much or anything; should’ve asked what you’re comfortable with since you were just-”

Reborn pulled on Tsuna’s shirt, catching him in a kiss and cutting Tsuna off. He leaned his forehead against Tsuna’s, muttering, “It’s fine, Tsuna. Don’t be afraid of touching me. Nobody else can but...you’re fine.”

Tsuna felt his face burn as he mumbled, “Alright, Babe.”

They pulled back and Reborn flopped back against the pillows. “What’s there to do?”

“I don’t know. I’ve been forced to stay here for days though and they have yet to let me copy the wifi password.”

“What’s the name of the hospital?”

“I’m not sure. I didn’t pay attention as I walked in because the staff just picked us both up and put us on a stretcher until we were near a room. Then they had to pry your hand off of me because you wouldn’t let go.”

Reborn snorted, shaking his head. “Do you have your phone?”

“Yeah? Why?”

“They took mine and destroyed it so I’ll help you get internet.”

Tsuna shrugged, digging his phone out of his pocket. He handed it over to Reborn, sitting back on the bed. Reborn fiddled around in the settings for about a minute before he handed Tsuna’s phone back. 

“Find a site so we can watch something for a bit.” Reborn said. 

Tsuna rolled his eyes. “We’re in the middle of watching  _ Descendants of the Sun  _ last time I was in the hospital. Do you wanna keep going with that one?”

“Sure”, Reborn tugged on Tsuna’s sweater, “Lay down so I can fall asleep easier.”

“You think that’s a good idea considering how many tubes are on you?”

“Yes, just for a bit.”

“Reborn…” Tsuna said anxiously. “I don’t want your healing getting messed up from this.”

“I’ll be fine, Love. I am on so many painkillers, I can barely feel my legs. Just let me lay against you for a bit until I fall asleep...I don’t want to have a nightmare.”

Tsuna sighed, cupping Reborn’s cheek. “Are you sure you’ll be fine?”

Reborn nodded almost enthusiastically. Tsuna laid back, curling up in the space underneath Reborn’s arm. He shifted so Reborn could push his head into the crook of Tsuna’s neck, his arms firmly around Tsuna’s waist. 

“Do you wanna still watch Descendents or are you too tired?” Tsuna asked softly. Reborn gave a soft, unintelligible mumble and Tsuna laughed. “I don’t know what you said, silly.”

Reborn kissed Tsuna’s neck, relaxing completely. Tsuna smiled and reached back so he could scratch at Reborn’s hair.

“I’m not a dog, Tsuna.” Reborn said sleepily. 

Tsuna couldn’t help but laugh again. He let his hand drop so it was over Reborn’s forearm. He traced idly on Reborn’s skin, feeling Reborn relax more and more as he fell asleep from it. He kept tracing softly even after Reborn fell asleep. It was comforting for Tsuna knowing it helped Reborn at least a little bit.

It was a peaceful atmosphere. Tsuna couldn’t remember the last time it had been this calm. He had been encased in terror for so long he forgot what it felt like to be almost alright for a bit. Reborn seemed to feel that same peace as he had went almost limp and he was snoring softly. Tsuna couldn’t help the small flutter at the site of him. He loved Reborn so much…

A nurse breezed into the room. She gave a start at the site and Tsuna had gone to move. She waved her hands, shaking her head frantically. This was the first time Reborn had been so relaxed while sleeping without medication. 

“Only here to check her vitals”, the nurse said patiently. At Tsuna’s blank look, she pointed towards Reborn’s left arm. Tsuna made a soft sound, nodding. 

The nurse hurried around, drawing blood again and monitoring Reborn’s heart rate. She left, closing the door softly behind her. As if on cue, Reborn opened his eyes, staring at the door angrily. 

“Nobody on the staff ever uses my name.” He muttered angrily.

“What?” Tsuna asked. He didn’t process what Reborn said from his shock at seeing Reborn was actually awake. 

“Everybody uses my birth name, Viola. They, for some reason, have my old file. I should’ve had one with my name changed so this wouldn’t happen. I hate that name.”

“It’s not like very many people here that we know even use it.” Tsuna muttered, frowning.

“You know my  _ mother _ ”, Reborn said ‘mother’ with so much venom, Tsuna couldn’t help the surprised look he shot at Reborn. “She was no mom to me. She’s the reason I was ever there in the first place. My dad couldn’t have done anything as this was around the time where he needed a surgery in his hip; the entire time he was in the hospital. Needed the money so badly that I had to be sold to get it.”

“How did your parents stay together long enough to have you”, Tsuna muttered, rubbing his forehead. 

Reborn snorted. “I honestly have no clue. I guess my mom didn’t want my dad to be in so much pain. He could barely move because his bones had fractured and gone out of place. She didn’t like me a lot because I knew early on I was transgender. My dad was fine with it but she made a fuss about it and forced me into dresses and skirts at home.”

“Thats horrible”, Tsuna said in a whisper. Reborn made a soft sound. 

“Tell me about it. I spent a lot of time at Bianchi’s thanks to that. She was okay with me being trans at first but after a while she got frustrated because she thought I’d grow out of it.” Reborn rolled his eyes. “It’s why we broke up. She had moved onto outright saying I was wrong for tricking people about my gender. She’s gotten better since we broke up, done more reading up I guess. But I couldn’t handle what she was saying.”

He sighed, balancing his head back onto Tsuna’s shoulder. There was a noticeable tenseness to Reborn, at least to Tsuna.It persisted for days and even though people often came in and out throughout the day, they never noticed it. Tsuna was  _ sure  _ that Reborn was hiding something though. 

One of the people that came inside, they drew Tsuna’s attention away from Reborn though. 

They looked just as beat as Reborn did, having yellowing bruises along his neck, wrists, and face. They were smiling shyly as they came in though, their arms crossed tightly across their chest. Reborn was half asleep and on too many painkillers to process much but his eyes perked up more at the site of this person. 

“Hey, Vi-”

“-Reborn,” He cut in, in French. Reborn gave a hard stare to them. “I don’t use that name, don’t call me it.”

They flushed, looking ashamed. They said in French, “Sorry, it was all I heard, I’m dumb. But I didn’t know you were awake.” 

Tsuna ducked his head, messing with his phone for something to do. He was nervously trying to ignore this person as he didn’t know them or want to interact with them. Reborn blinked, waiting a beat before he realized what they said.

“I’m on too many medications to be considered alive, Sand-castle.” Reborn answered wearily. 

“You’re still calling me that? I thought you would’ve forgot about that. Who’s this?” They pointed at Tsuna.

“Tsuna. His full name is too much to say right now so he’ll tell you.” Reborn looked over at Tsuna, switching back to Japanese as he said, “This is Sandy. They want to know your full name.”

“Sawada Tsunayoshi.”

“Oh, hey, was he the kid that saved his parents and teacher from a fire?”

Reborn furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. “How do you know about that? It only made small waves into other towns, that story.”

“I, uh, read news stories from all over a lot.” Sandy shrugged with a small nervous smile. “Has anybody told you about what’s been happening?”

“No, I’m too tired to even sit up so most people are in and out within a few minutes.” Reborn narrowed his eyes in suspicion. “Why? What’s there to say?”

“The, um, head boss or whatever of Angelo?”

“Chris; what about him?”

“He...escaped custody. They had gotten hit by somebody and he was taken away. Cameras captured it on the next block but nothing that would help the police ID whoever got him.”

“They got away; what do you mean they got away?” Reborn said, his voice rising. Tsuna looked up in concern, reaching out and putting a hand onto Reborn’s forearm.

“I know. I thought somebody would have told you for safety. But be careful, Reborn. We can’t have you being taken again. You’ve done enough for all of us.”

Reborn waved off their remark. “It was sheer luck I got out the first time and purely Tsuna and his friend’s this time.”

“Either way, it’s because of you. So thanks.” Sandy winked, waving at Tsuna before he walked back out of the room. 

“Who was he?” Tsuna asked quietly.

“They. That’s Sandy. They’re nonbinary.”

Tsuna blinked, staring at Reborn in confusion. “Am I supposed to know what that is?”

“You should,” Reborn said with a sigh. “It’s when you don’t fit into the gender girl or boy. You aren’t solely just one of those two genders. Sandy’s genderfluid-”

“-I don’t know what that is either.” Tsuna interrupted but he blushed, looking at his lap hurriedly. “Sorry, sorry that was rude, I shouldn’t have interrupted, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it”, Reborn muttered. He cupped Tsuna’s face gently, running his thumb along Tsuna’s cheek. “Genderfluid is when you have multiple different genders. There’s no set number but some days you can feel more like a boy, another a girl, another neither, and even some days you can be a mix of both boy and neither.”

Tsuna opened his mouth, comprehension dawning. Reborn dropped his hand back into his own lap, leaning back against the pillows. 

“What did he have to say that made you so upset?” Tsuna asked after a moment.  

“I’ll tell you later. Too tired for this.” Reborn stared bitterly up at the ceiling. “Can’t believe I have to stay here for another month.”

“Hopefully it doesn’t cost too much.”

“Oh, we aren’t paying.” Reborn snorted. “The government is paying for all the expenses in my recovery because they want me to go away.”

Tsuna raised an eyebrow, shaking his head. Reborn had to stay so long because, since he was on bed rest, he wouldn’t be able to walk. He’d need physiotherapy to help him gain that mobility and muscle again. If he walked, he’d tear the scabbing that had built up, making everything bleed, so bed rest was the only option. 

“Hopefully this month doesn’t seem as long”, Tsuna said lightly. He got up from the bed, stretching his back out. “At least I’m here to keep you company for some of it instead of you being alone.”

“You being here at all makes it better automatically.” Reborn muttered. Tsuna turned in shock but Reborn was almost asleep by now. Tsuna smiled and leaned over, giving Reborn a small kiss. “Stop, ‘m trying to sleep, Tsuna”, Reborn mumbled with a laugh against Tsuna’s lips. 

“Then go to sleep, I have to go find everybody but I’ll be back soon.” Tsuna said. He started to pull away but Reborn caught his arm. 

“Stay here...until I fall asleep…”

Tsuna’s shock turned to a gentle smile as he sat gently on the edge of the bed. He reached over, running his hand through Reborn’s hair. Reborn gave a soft sound, barely awake at this point. He pressed his lips against Tsuna’s wrist, frowning. He blinked himself awake, catching Tsuna’s arm again. 

“You don’t want to see that…” Tsuna whispered. He covered Reborn’s hand that had fumbled for the edge of Tsuna’s sleeve. 

“Why…”

“Mukuro was...he was unbearable. I kept panicking because everywhere I turned it felt like we were dating again when I was scared of my own shadow.” Tsuna blinked back tears, looking at the ceiling. “Luce told me to get over it, too. It made me feel like I was faking it or-or I didn’t deserve to be upset. It got too much. I didn’t know what else to do because the doctors were talking like you were going to die and I heard them using the wrong name and I felt so  _ helpless  _ because what can I do?”

Tsuna closed his eyes, trying not to cry. Gokudera had heard some of this but that was it. Everything had moved so fast that both had ended up talking together one night when Tsuna woke up in tears. Gokudera heard him and managed to calm him down. Yamamoto was out of the room and came back when Tsuna was calming down more. Tsuna didn’t want to repeat what he said again and Yamamoto understood. 

Reborn sat up again, wiping Tsuna’s face. “It’s okay...He can’t hurt you anymore.”

“I-I  _ know  _ that but it’s so hard to remember that when I get so scared and I can’t think straight-” 

Tsuna buried his face into his hands. Reborn pulled him into his chest and Tsuna grabbed the fabric of his shirt. Tsuna’s breathing was uneven and shaky and he was crying. Reborn wrapped his arms around Tsuna and ran his hands through Tsuna’s hair. Reborn felt a vague sense of deja vu as he had done this before. He couldn’t help but smile a little. This felt like they were back to normal, like Reborn had never been taken and he was just in the hospital for pain again and Tsuna was just having another panic attack. It was a sense of normalcy that was most likely odd to others but to them, it fit. It was what they were used to. 

After a few minutes, Tsuna managed to calm himself down. He pushed Reborn down gently. He didn’t look at Reborn as he wiped his face. Reborn laid back again and rubbed his eye. He was trying to stay awake so he could talk to Tsuna as him being alone could be dangerous. 

“I’m sorry”, Tsuna mumbled. “I-I shouldn’t be dumping this on you. You’re recovering from something worse-”

“-It doesn’t matter what I went through, Tsuna. You and I are different people with different experiences. You’re dealing with your trauma still, of course you’re going to be upset.” Tsuna looked like he wanted to argue but Reborn gave him a hard stare. “I’m...here for you, Tsuna. I want to know if you’re upset, regardless of what  _ I’m  _ going through. Don’t apologize because you asked for help.”

“How are we together”, Tsuna said, smiling at Reborn. 

“Because an amazing person came into my life and made it worthwhile for the first time in a while.”

“You’re half asleep aren’t you?”

“Of course I am. I would never say this out loud if I was one, awake and two, not drugged to the moon and back on painkillers.”

Tsuna laughed. He nuzzled his face into Reborn’s hair, feeling Reborn wrap his arm around his waist. “You’re tired, go to sleep already.”

“Mmm, don’t do anything stupid while I’m asleep.” Reborn muttered against Tsuna’s back. “Stay safe for me.”

Tsuna shifted, pushing Reborn against the bed. He smiled brightly. Reborn gave a sleepy smile back and grabbed Tsuna’s hand. He squeezed gently before he closed his eyes; finally asleep for the night.


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw: self-harm/cutting

Things finally seemed to go steady for a few weeks. Tsuna barely registered how much time had passed. He kept having panic attacks that would then give him an asthma attack which would lead him into the hospital again. It was a vicious cycle that kept repeating. And it all lead back to Mukuro. 

He was the reason Tsuna kept getting so high strung. He had tried to just stay all night and day at the hospital, under the guise of being concerned for Reborn being alone, but it didn’t work. Nurses refused to let him stay more than two days and a night in a row. They always made him get picked up so he would go and sleep at Mukuro’s family’s house. He didn’t sleep very well there though so it never did much good. He was too hyper aware that Mukuro was even in the vicinity to relax.

Reborn couldn’t help much though. He had to rebuild muscle in his legs so he could walk so he was either in physiotherapy or sleeping. It took a lot out of him to do more than eat and go to the bathroom at this point. Whenever Tsuna managed to see him, he was exhausted with deep bags under his eyes and on the verge of sleeping. 

“I don’t like how much I sleep”, Reborn mumbled. 

Tsuna looked up from the book he had to do for his school work. He furrowed his brow, putting the book on the bedside table. “Well, you were hurt...a lot. You’re still recovering so you have to give yourself some-some”, Tsuna broke off, staring at the ground.

“Forget what you wanted to say?” Reborn asked with a shaky laugh.

“It started happening a lot”, Tsuna muttered in annoyance. “It’s not fun. Mukuro makes fun of me for it and it provokes a lot of other people.”

“Are Gokudera and Yamamoto...not there?”

“No, they’re always gone when this happens. They might actually hurt Mukuro if they heard what was happening though.”

“Why not tell them then?”

Tsuna blanched, throwing a scared look at Reborn. His breathing quickened and he couldn’t stop shaking. “Mukuro would…”

“Hey”, Reborn mumbled. He pushed himself up and gently took Tsuna’s hand in his. “Let’s drop this conversation. There’s no need to freak you out over something hypothetical.”

Tsuna nodded slowly, blinking fast. Reborn rubbed his thumb over Tsuna’s knuckles slowly. It was something Tsuna found himself focusing on. He felt a smile tug at his lips as he looked up at Reborn. He was dazed, almost asleep, and Tsuna felt his heart melt at the sight of him. He rested his head onto his pillow, staring at Tsuna’s hand with a slight smile. 

The peaceful atmosphere they had created didn’t last though. It was the next day when everything was getting cleaned and sanitized. Reborn usually never noticed it as they cleaned everything in his room while he was in therapy and he fell asleep right away when he was done. But he had slowly been getting better again and he finally felt less tired. He knew he had to catch up on a lot of work and he wanted to take some time to do it. But when Tsuna and him went into his room, the intense smell of bleach and rubbing alcohol was overpowering. Reborn gagged, falling to his knees. They used bleach on everything in the camp. It was used as a substitute disinfectant if there was no alcohol and he hated the smell. And soon he couldn’t breathe and he was thinking about that dark room with the chains holding him down-

“-Reborn”, Tsuna muttered gently. He tried to see if Reborn would see him and get his breathing under control but he just sat there. He was white and shaking and his jaw was clamped tight. 

Tsuna looked around, wondering what to do. He pulled on Reborn’s hands and got him through the door so he could close it, blocking off anybody looking in. Some nurses had looked in curiously and started to walk closer but Tsuna shook his head. Tsuna sat down in front of Reborn and put headphones into Reborn’s ear. He remembered Reborn saying something in an offhand comment that if he had something to focus on when he was like this, it would help him calm down faster. Tsuna played the only thing he could think of. He recently had found classical music was helpful. 

It took a bit but after three different pieces, Reborn’s jaw unclenched slowly. That was always when you could tell he was started to come through. His breath evened out next and he regained a little more colour as the track progressed. He let out a small sigh as he blinked, wiping his forehead. 

“Thanks”, he muttered. Tsuna smiled sheepishly.

“I wasn’t even sure this would work.” Tsuna said with a laugh. “Can I ask what set you off?”

“It smells like bleach.”

Reborn didn’t say anything else. Tsuna was about to ask before he stopped himself. He moved and went to the windows. He opened the curtains and pushed the windows out. Reborn started to pick himself up and Tsuna started to walk over to help support him.

“I’m fine, Tsuna”, he said in mild amusement. Tsuna had really became a mother hen towards him, always trying to take care of him in some way. It was almost endearing.

Tsuna gave a stricken look of concern but he nodded. Reborn sat down gently onto the bed. He slid back towards the pillows. He caught Tsuna’s worried look that he was trying to hide. 

“You have this too, don’t look so concerned. It just happens.” Reborn muttered. “I’ll be fine, promise.”

“I know you haven’t been taking your medication, Reborn. I’m worried that it’s making this worse than it should be for you.” Tsuna said firmly. 

“Most likely. Nothing you can do now. I still need pain medication so I’m still being told to avoid taking it.”

“Is it even safe to be off your medication this long?”

“No. I’m in a hypomanic phase at this point though. It doesn’t look like it because I’m so drugged up but I can’t sit still when I’m almost out and they haven’t replaced it yet. I’m just waiting to crash at this point.”

Tsuna’s lip tightened angrily and he sent a glare out towards the door. They were endangering Reborn on the hopes that he would be fine without the medication. Reborn let out a small snort, leaning his head against his hand. Tsuna looked over in surprise, not sure what was so funny.

“They think I’m exaggerating my pain and that, because of my mental illnesses, I’m here for just pain pills as I’m an addict at this point. I heard nurses talking about it when I was half asleep. My door was open because it smelled in here. It’s why they’re trying to wean me off the pain medication.”

“Does Luce or your dad know about this?” Tsuna asked urgently. 

Reborn shook his head, looking tired. “Haven’t been in for a few days. Been busy with all the legal stuff and getting things straightened out for when I get out of the hospital. They don’t know whether to put me back with my biological parents or stay with everybody in our old house in Italy.”

“Why would they even think of putting you back with your parents. Your mom is horrible to you-”

“-I know”, Reborn sighed. He shifted so he could lay down and motioned Tsuna closer. “I don’t know why they never considered asking what I wanted but I’ll most likely be put into some kind of protection until everything is resolved. The leader, Chris, escaped so it’s still dangerous for me.”

Tsuna sat on the bed, his back facing Reborn. He felt Reborn wrap his arms around Tsuna’s waist, burying his face into Tsuna’s hip. He ran his hand through Reborn’s hair, rubbing along the small indent on his temple. Reborn had once told him that his mom used to do that when he had a nightmare to calm him down. Tsuna tended to do it more recently as Reborn was too high strung to sleep unless Tsuna was there to comfort him. The pain medication was the reason he slept so heavily but now that he was getting less and less of it he was getting less sleep. 

Reborn moved his head, kissing Tsuna’s wrist. His eyes were half shut when he pulled away from Tsuna’s hand. He pulled Tsuna down onto the bed, sleepily curling up around him. Tsuna snorted, resuming in rubbing Reborn’s temple. 

Just as it had seemed everything had started to calm, Tsuna heard somebody talking. It was Japanese with a heavy Italian accent. Tsuna didn’t recognize the voice but Reborn bolted upright. He stared at the door, his shoulders shaking. 

“ _ He was in the camp _ ”, Reborn signed sloppily. His hands were shaking too much to sign anything properly. 

Tsuna pulled out his phone and started emailing everybody, trying to get somebody to answer. The talking kept going and Reborn just stared at the wall numbly.

“We have to take him back to Italy before he heals completely. It’ll be easier that way.” The voice said. It was deep and gravelly. Tsuna felt it crawl up his spine every time it started. 

“I know that but the kid is always there. He has this weird thing with his hands so it’s almost sad to take him at this point.” Another voice said.

Reborn turned his back to the window and door, pulling the blanket up to his face. Tsuna sat so he was out of view as well and the men kept walking past. They seemed to be looking for a doctor as the conversation shifted. Tsuna got through to Luce after the two had passed thankfully and there was no hesitation that Reborn would be going back home soon. 

There was an ongoing fight between Luce and Reborn’s police handler over whether he could go back and continue recovering or be moved away to be put in protection, cut off from everybody for his safety. Luce was adamant that if Reborn was left alone and adjusting to his medication again after so long of being off of it, he would be in too much danger. The handler wasn’t listening though. He insisted that if he stayed in a place he was already known to be, that it would end up getting him killed and as an easy target.

No matter what Luce tried to argue the handler brushed it off. It was only when Reborn’s dad, Rin, walked in did anything get done. He had said the exact same things as Luce had and the handler seemed less ready to push them away. But he did give in. Luce was livid, her eyes blown and her breathing starting to grow heavier. She had next to no sleep as she was in Italy with her newborn baby and had to constantly be travelling back and forth to iron things like this out. 

Rin was just as annoyed as he had been just repeating what Luce told him she had been saying. He didn’t like the thought that a man wouldn’t listen to a woman just because she was a woman. It was ridiculous and sexist. But the main thing was they finally got the OK to bring Reborn home to Italy so it was a small victory.

Reborn seemed alright with it. He didn’t need anymore physiotherapy and Tsuna had sat in a majority of the later sessions so he could help Reborn if it was absolutely needed. So everybody finally packed their bags and hopped onto Mukuro’s family plane again. Mukuro followed everybody with his own bags. Tsuna stole glances at him from where he was walking a little behind him. Reborn seemed determined to ignore Mukuro though as he made his way into the plane. 

The minute they took off, Tsuna and Reborn fell asleep. It was the only way they would end up getting sleep for the next day as there was a lot of unpacking to do. They still needed to find things for the students to do for their school work as it was becoming harder and harder to explain away why Reborn was gone and why everybody else were with him. Luce was able to fend it off with they were all helping raise the baby to help lessen the load but it was a bad excuse. 

Reborn felt Tsuna stirring against his shoulder which woke him up. He had stopped sleeping as deeply as he had in the hospital. He was jittery and on edge and he wasn’t sure if it was because he was still hypomanic or he was nervous. Tsuna mumbled something under his breath as he sat up, staring dazedly around him. 

“We’re on a plane”, Reborn stated. Tsuna stuck his tongue out at him.

“I  _ know  _ that. But how far are we from-from Italy.” Tsuna yawned, rubbing his eyes intensely as he tried to wake up. 

“20 minutes”, Colonnello called from across the aisle. 

Reborn’s mouth twitched and Tsuna couldn’t help but laugh. “What’re you laughing at?”

“N-Nothing! Promise!” Tsuna tried to say but Reborn pinched his ear, making him squirm and whine. He wasn’t pinching hard at all, it was playful and Tsuna went along because it had been so long since Reborn could even do this much.

“Can you two go get a room?” Skull muttered.

“Watch it. I might still be recovering but I can still rip your piercings out in your sleep.”

“Play nice, boys”, Luce said sternly. Reborn slid down in his seat, looking like a pouty child. 

They landed smoothly and everybody scrambled to get their things. Tsuna waited until the rush was gone until he tried to get up. Reborn didn’t mind as he waited for Tsuna by the door. Tsuna was too short to reach the overhead compartment for his bag though and he was straining to reach it. He felt somebody come behind him suddenly, making him jerk and fall forward. He felt an arm loop around his waist to catch him while he heard the door to the compartment being opened. He struggled to stand up, already knowing who was behind him him. 

“There you are, Tsunayoshi”, Mukuro said smoothly. Tsuna gently took his bag. He clutched it to his chest, not trusting himself to be able to hold it without dropping it. Mukuro cocked his head, asking, “Is there something wrong?”

“N-Nothing”, Tsuna said with a squeak. He turned to scurry away but Mukuro seemed...actually worried? Before he could say anything else though, there was a sharp yell of, “Hurry up, pipsqueak!” by Skull and a resounding smack by Reborn.

Mukuro momentarily turned towards Skull, most likely to say something snarky, and Tsuna used this to scramble to the door. Skull was halfway down the steps and Reborn was sliding along the railing. He jumped off smoothly like he did this everyday and Tsuna couldn’t help but roll his eyes. He hurried down the stairs, not wanting to be caught near Mukuro again, and joined Reborn at the bottom. 

“Everything okay?” Reborn muttered. Tsuna looked up in confusion. Reborn sounded almost confused. Tsuna narrowed his eyes but didn’t say anything. He didn’t wanna talk about this in front of people. He could easily be wrong but two things happened when Tsuna was about to leave the plane. 

One was that Reborn was either dissociating or, two, all his thoughts were coming too fast and he couldn’t focus. Tsuna remembered the last time this happened, Reborn had looked just as confused and dazed. 

Tsuna gently put his hand into Reborn’s and took the lead. Reborn squeezed Tsuna’s hand gently and followed into the airport. 

Finally, they were back in the house they started. Reborn, without hesitation, nudged Tsuna down a hall and right into the first door. Everybody else meandered around, getting their stuff together and finding a place to sleep. Reborn opened the door to his old room, ducking around a chicken strung in the middle of the door way. Tsuna walked right into it, letting out a small screech.

“What-!” Tsuna started.

“-It’s a chicken. I put it up so it would shift along this sliding lock and I would know if somebody was in my room.” Reborn pointed out the lock, whispering it into Tsuna’s ear so nobody else would hear. Skull was going past with Mammon as their rooms were next to Reborn’s.

“Why did you put that up?”

“Veronica had a habit of taking my things that were deemed ‘too boyish’ for me to own. I made this with something smaller but now its also a little prank in its own.”

Tsuna snorted, closing the door so he could change his shirt. 

“Is there something on that?” Reborn asked.

Tsuna paused before throwing his shirt towards the bed. “No”, he muttered. “It just smells like Mukuro.”

Reborn didn’t say anything else as he walked towards the bed. He stripped the bedding, replacing it with fresh ones from his closet. Tsuna sat on the ground, unsure what to do. He watched Reborn and noticed that his eyes looked a little too wide. 

Tsuna fell onto the bed when Reborn was half done. He made a sound of surprise at Tsuna’s sudden appearance but didn’t stop and he put the blankets over Tsuna. Reborn flopped down with Tsuna, burrowing as far as he could. 

“I’m glad you’re here”, Tsuna mumbled. He buried his face into Reborn’s neck so he wouldn’t have to look at Reborn but he felt Reborn laugh. 

They didn’t say much for a bit. Tsuna didn’t know what else to say and Reborn was too immersed in his thoughts to even focus on a conversation. Tsuna started tracing the line of Reborn’s collarbone with his finger, going over it again and again. He was wearing one of the really baggy sweaters. He couldn’t wear his binder so whenever that happened he wore loose things to hide his chest. Tsuna could tell he was annoyed at the sports bra though as he keep pulling at the straps, trying to make it tighter instinctively.

“Are you alright?” Tsuna mumbled. Reborn didn’t answer right away until he shifted, pulling back so he could look down at Tsuna. 

“What do you mean?” He asked.

“Well...you seemed distracted. Like you can’t focus. I was wondering if it was that thing where your thoughts a-are going so fast that you can’t think and I just wanted to make sure you were alright and if there was anything I could-”

“-I’m fine, Tsuna”, Reborn cut in smoothly. He pressed his lips against Tsuna’s forehead gently. “It’s been starting to happen but it should be less severe as I’m going to crash back into a depressive episode soon.”

“That’s not-Reborn, don’t sound so cheery about that.”

“I’ve had this since I was maybe nine, Tsuna. It’s something I’m  _ very  _ used to by now.”

Tsuna made a soft sound of protest but stopped trying to argue. He started fidgeting with the strings of Reborn’s sweater, twisting them around his fingers and tying small knots before pulling them out and starting over again. 

“Is there something else you’d like to tell me?” Reborn asked. Tsuna fumbled and dropped the strings. 

“I-well, if you ever need to tell me anything about what happened or to talk about it, I want you to know I’ll help you the best I can. I just don’t want you to try and go through this alone and end up feeling even worse and…” Tsuna trailed off, not sure what else he wanted to say. 

“...Thank you”, Reborn said softly. He shifted, burrowing into Tsuna’s chest this time. “‘M tired.”

“You want me to lay with you or leave you alone?”

“Lay with me”, Reborn kissed Tsuna’s jaw, running his fingers through the base of Tsuna’s hair. “Love you.”

 

Tsuna and Reborn ended up sleeping all night. Nobody was surprised when Colonnello, who had wanted to race Reborn, had walked into Reborn slouched across Tsuna’s chest with Tsuna spread out as much as possible. The sheets were pushed almost to the end of the bed, only covering up to their knees at that point. He managed to get a picture of the two before Reborn woke up and sprinted out the door. 

Reborn grumpily stared at the open door. He didn’t care about the picture but at least close the door so no noise would wake Tsuna up. He wasn’t awake long though as he went back to sleep though, pulling the blankets back up to his shoulders and hunkering down.

Finally, when they got up the next day, it was to somebody bursting into their room, loudly exclaiming, “Get up, losers! We’re making pancakes.”

“Lal, it is not the time to be screaming.” Reborn said tiredly. He rolled over to face the door. Lal stood with her hands on her hips and an unamused scowl on her face. 

“It’s almost eight! You two’ve been sleeping since seven yesterday! You’ve had more than enough time.”

Tsuna tried to roll over but ended up falling out of the bed. He hit his arm against the bedside table in his flailing to stay on the bed. Reborn just sighed. Lal didn’t seem interested in sticking around though as she stomped off a second later. 

“You always fall out-” Reborn started. He stopped when he noticed Tsuna was holding his arm against his chest. He quickly moved and sat in front of Tsuna, gently prying his arm out of his grip. “What’s wrong?”

“When I fell, my arm hit the-the table and-it’s bleeding again, Reborn.” Tsuna looked up, tears in his eyes and terrified. His breath hitched and he looked so scared. “It took too long when it was first...I-I don’t-”

“-You’ll be fine.” Reborn said calmly. He reached into the table Tsuna had hit, digging around for his first aid kit. 

“Why do you have that?” Tsuna asked.

“I used to be really reckless with myself. I would push myself too hard and get cuts and bruising everywhere. Didn’t care much for my well being as that’s what I was forced to think in the camp. I kept this in here to hide everything.”

Tsuna nodded. Reborn pulled out rubbing alcohol and a roll of bandages. He pushed Tsuna’s sweater sleeve up and frowned. There was more recent ones....

“Tsuna, does Mukuro still-”

“- _ yes” _ , Tsuna interrupted. “He never leaves me alone and it’s always-always when nobody’s there. He tries to talk to me like-like we’re  _ friends.  _ Like nothing ever happened.”

“He’s lucky I’m off my meds.”

“What”, Tsuna said scathingly, “does that have anything to do with this.”

“I can tell that my depression isn’t normally like it is. I’m very self-aware of what happens with delusions but I can’t stop them and my current one is that if I move too much, all the scabs and cuts will open again and I’ll bleed out. So it is extremely hard for me to do anything more than walking as my medication helps alleviate this. But it’s better this way because I’d more likely go to jail for murder if he even tried this with me up and moving again.”

Tsuna rubbed at his forehead. “I’m such an idiot. God, my nickname really does suit me.”

“No, it doesn’t.” Reborn pecked Tsuna’s nose before he continued to clean Tsuna’s arm. “You would have no way of knowing this happens. This is a more extreme end of a depression cycle and, as you know two people with two opposite disorders, you would have no way to gauge when this would’ve happened. Especially since I was medicated a majority of the time we lived together in Japan.”

Reborn wrapped the bandage around Tsuna’s arm. Tsuna gingerly pulled his sweater down, staring at the ground. 

“I’m sorry”, Tsuna muttered.

“What for?”

“I shouldn’t have...started hurting myself again. I’m letting you down and you’re suffering worse-”

“This isn’t the olympics, Tsuna. You cannot measure my pain to yours and vice versa. We have different experiences in life but that does not mean what I’ve been through means you can’t say anything. You need help as much as I do and there’s nothing wrong with messing up. You don’t have any other means to cope with intense emotions and this is the only relief you know. Just do your best to avoid it and work towards a healthier alternative replacing this.”

Tsuna leaned his forehead against Reborn’s shoulder. “I’m sorry.” He muttered again.

“It’s alright, Love. Let’s go get pancakes before we get dressed. I have something I think you might like.”

Tsuna narrowed his eyes up at Reborn. “What is it?”

Reborn winked before he pulled Tsuna up to his feet. They walked into the kitchen to a chorus of cheers and laughter.

“The love bugs finally got up!” Colonnello said. 

Reborn rolled his eyes before pulling a chair out for Tsuna. That helped nothing as Skull piped up with a line about Reborn being a ‘true gentleman’. Reborn, with no hesitation, flung a frozen berry at Skull, hitting him right in the middle of his nose, leaving a bright purple smear over his foundation.

“It took me almost an hour to do this!” Skull moaned, gesturing to the spot of purple.

“Oops”, Reborn deadpanned. He pulled a glass towards him and poured himself coffee. He nudged a glass of milk to Tsuna as he would have to reach too much, risking his sweater sleeve to show his arm. With his skin graft scars, Tsuna wasn’t the biggest fan of showing his wrists. 

Breakfast was noisy and bustling. Fon was helping Verde and Bianchi cook everything while Yamamoto did his best to entertain the baby so Luce could sleep for a few hours. Yamamoto brought the baby over to Tsuna then, crouching so they were almost the same height.

“This is Tsuna!” Yamamoto introduced. “Her name is Aria. Say hi!”

Yamamoto took Aria’s arm and gently made it move so it looked like she was waving. Tsuna laughed, waving back. He let Aria grab his finger and wiggled it back and forth. She smiled, letting out a gurgle and spit falling onto her onsie. 

Yamamoto continued to bring her around the table to say hi to everyone. She seemed to like Skull the best as his face was more fun to look at and shiny from his piercings. Skull didn’t mind and took over with playing with Aria.

Reborn muttered into his coffee cup, “Chick magnet”, which prompted everybody to snort, Tsuna choking on his milk. 

“If I die from an asthma attack tonight you owe me one”, Tsuna said as he coughed.

“I’ll do your math for the rest of the year if you have a bad one.”

“Wait, really?”

“No”, Reborn refilled his cup.

“You shouldn’t tease your boyfriend so much. He might end up leaving you.” Lal said sarcastically.

“Who would you leave me for?” Reborn asked, turning to Tsuna.

“Skull”, Tsuna said with finality. 

“Now that’s just going to end up with you crawling back to me in no time, Tsuna. Skull doesn’t date so you’d be starved for romantic attention.”

“Fine, Gokudera.”

Gokudera choked on his juice. When he recovered, her turned to Tsuna and exclaimed, “What!”

“I can see it”, Lal muttered. Reborn nodded as Bianchi popped her head in. 

“Are we talking about my brother’s love life?” She asked.

“Tsuna said he’d leave me for Gokudera. It’s almost enough to drive me back to you.”

Bianchi bristled at the comment but Reborn held up three fingers. She relaxed at that, scoffing and going back into the kitchen to gather all the food that was ready. Tsuna looked confused but Reborn shook his head. 

“ _ I[’ll] tell you later _ ”, Reborn signed. Tsuna shrugged. 

Talk soon feel away to the sounds of food. Everybody was focused on eating. Tsuna and Yamamoto awkwardly held the forks, not being used to using them. 

“Why can’t I use chopsticks. It’s the only thing I’m good at.” Tsuna grumbled.

“You could try but I doubt you’d manage it with no struggle.” Reborn said. He took one of Tsuna’s eggs as he said this.

Tsuna rolled his eyes before continuing to eat precariously with the fork. 

When everybody was done, Reborn, Tsuna, and Gokudera all did the dishes. It wasn’t hard but Tsuna wasn’t very good at it. Reborn ended up switching to washing so Tsuna would dry. Gokudera was scrubbing down the counters and table, making sure there were no more dishes. Gokudera moved onto cleaning the floors, pouring a mixture of bleach and water into a bucket so he could mop. Reborn gagged without realizing it, dropping everything.

“I’ll get somebody else to help me.” Tsuna muttered. He didn’t hesitate to push Reborn out of the kitchen and down the hall towards his room. Fon was walking by and seemed concerned.

“What’s-?” Fon started but Reborn breezed past him. He walked closer to Tsuna who explained that Reborn couldn’t smell bleach without being affected as it reminded him of being back at the camp. 

“Is there anything that calms him?” Fon asked, serious.

“Water boiled was what he drank as a kid but I don’t know if it’s safe-”

“Go be with him. Colonnello and Lal will finish the dishes. There are only a few left so it won’t be too much of a favour to ask.”

“But-” Tsuna started to protest.

“-Go”, Fon said sternly. He gave Tsuna a slight push towards Reborn’s door before he swept off, going to find Colonnello and Lal.

Tsuna sucked in a breath. He heard Fon explaining to Gokudera that Reborn had forgotten to do something. Gokudera seemed to accept it. Tsuna tried to ready himself. He might have to hear a lot of bad things. But he was prepared for that.

Reborn was sitting by the window. He set his room up so his bed was away from the window, giving him a clear spot to sit if he needed to. His desk was on the other wall and there was a small lap lit that casted a warmer glow to the room. Tsuna knocked on the door frame before he stepped inside. Reborn jumped and Tsuna realized his shoulders were shaking. 

“Do you want to be alone?” Tsuna asked softly.

“No, I don’t trust myself to be alone.” Reborn leaned his head into his hands. Tsuna stepped in farther and closed the door. He stopped before he could go any closer to Reborn though.

“Do you want to be touched?”

Reborn nodded. Tsuna sat down next to Reborn by the windowsill and offered his hand. Reborn went for a hug though as he buried himself into Tsuna’s body. Tsuna hugged him back tightly and tried his best to help calm Reborn down. He started rubbing the indent in Reborn’s temple in a slow circle. Reborn became less tense but his grip on Tsuna’s sweater still turned his knuckles white.

“They used to mock you by calling me things like honey and sweetie when they were hurting me.” Reborn muttered.

“They just have to ruin everything. I’ll stick to Reborn then.” 

Reborn heaved a laugh but it was more of a sob. 

“They tried to get me to hate you, too. They would poke a red hot needle into my stomach and play messages you left on my phone. They never really grasped that negative reinforcements like that don’t work on me when I’m dissociating. I only vaguely remember it because the other kids with me said it happened to them.”

Tsuna buried his face into Reborn’s neck. He wasn’t sure he could ever hate somebody as much as he hated Angelo. Reborn had stopped shaking though. He was shivering and had a death grip on Tsuna’s sweater but he was starting to calm down a little bit. 

Tsuna continued to rub the small indent on Reborn’s head. He leaned against the wall behind him and Reborn wiggled around until he found a comfortable spot. He wasn’t talking anymore and he was just staring at the wall. It took almost an hour for him to move again.

“Are you-?” Tsuna started. But Reborn just shrugged. He wasn’t sure  _ how  _ he felt really. Things had died down where he didn’t feel as bad but there was still the gnawing pit in his chest.

“I have something to show you”, Reborn said. He ignored Tsuna’s inquiring look and opened his closet. He dug around until he finally found a bin pushed to the very back. He dragged it out and pushed it towards Tsuna.

“I saw you looking at the dresses in the shop window when we were driving out of Sicily.” Reborn explained. Tsuna felt his face flame and he ducked his head. “I have a lot of dresses I have no use for. Dig through them and see if you find any. You’re about my size when I was eight so you’ll probably fit in them.”

Tsuna looked at the bin, licking his lips. “You mean, I can just...take any of these?”

“Take them all. I won’t use them any time soon.” Reborn pulled out one that was pleated from the waist down with a flowered top. “This would suit you.”

“You’re  _ sure  _ it’s fine to take these? I mean you might want-”

“Tsuna”, Reborn said firmly. “I will not fit into any of these as I have 43B bra size and have too much muscle to squeeze myself into these dresses. I won’t mind in the least if you take these as I have no use for them.”

Tsuna flushed and looked embarrassed before started digging through the bin. There were a lot of dresses in here and they... _ did  _ look like they would fit him. Reborn must’ve been the tall kid in the class if Tsuna was his size now. 

“Why do you have all of these?”

Reborn’s mouth twisted into a sour grimace. “My mom made me wear these. I’m not much of a fan of dresses anymore because they’re all i was allowed to wear when I was home. I was never caught wearing it to school as I would change.”

“Oh…” Tsuna mumbled. His mouth also twisted down and he pulled out some more dresses. 

Reborn leaned back and closed his eyes while Tsuna looked through. It was quiet except for the rustling and the distant noise of the house’s other occupants. It sounded like Skull was playing with Aria and was getting her riled up. Childish screeches flitted through into the room and there was laughter from multiple occupants. 

“Um-” Tsuna started. Reborn peaked an eye open but Tsuna seemed to lose his nerve and just shook his head. Reborn narrowed his eyes before he nodded. 

“All of these don’t have longer sleeves, I know. There’s a sweater here somewhere. It’s a thin one that you just put over your arms.” Reborn pulled out a thin cardigan and handed it to Tsuna. “Start wearing stuff like this slow, though, Tsuna.”

“Why?” Tsuna asked in confusion.

“If you try to dress feminine all at once you’ll get overwhelmed. Take it in small steps. Paint your nails for a week and wear the sweater. Put a skirt on for half the day. It’s up to you what pace you go through.”

“Did you do that?”

“Yes, I did. I started with looser clothes that were less colourful and form fitting. I built up to my haircut. Why the sudden interest in wearing this stuff though? I’ve seen you eyeing feminine clothes for a week now.”

Tsuna flushed and scratched at his head. “I...I never knew there was a word for not identifying with just one gender. That kid that came in a few weeks ago, you said they were genderfluid. I-I did some research on it and it...it sounds a lot like what I’ve been feeling like recently.”

“Well isn’t this an interesting development.” Reborn said. “Would you change your pronouns or stick with what you have now.”

“Pro-pronouns?” Tsuna looked at Reborn in slight fear. He didn’t know what that was. 

“It’s what you go by. My pronouns are he and him. You use only that for me. With you, you can change it to she and her or they and them, whatever you want. But that can come later if you’re not ready.”

Reborn cupped Tsuna’s cheek in his hand, running his thumb along Tsuna’s cheek. Tsuna gave a warm smile. He seemed tired and was paler than usual. Tsuna scooted over so he was closer and leaned against Reborn. 

“Thanks for...all of this.” Tsuna mumbled. 

“It’s no problem. It’s an excuse to finally get rid of these. I used the excuse they were my sister’s but I don’t have one, biologically.”

Tsuna snorted. He stared at the dress Reborn had thrown at him. It was still clutched in his hand and he found himself running the fabric through his hands, feeling the polyester scratch over his hand. He could almost feel Reborn deflate as they sat there. It was almost like he put on a mask to fool others into thinking he was fine. 

“Are you alright?” Tsuna asked softly. He heard a soft, derisive laugh.

“No, I haven’t taken my medication in so long. Completely out of my system. I’ve officially crashed again into a depressive episode. Mom hasn’t gone to get another prescription as mine was in my room in Japan. She’s been too busy to do it and I can’t leave to get it myself as it’s too dangerous.”

“I brought your medication though?” Tsuna said. He looked up at Reborn with a frown. “I thought Luce told you. I took them before I left because I knew you’d most likely need them when we got you back. They should be in my bag.”

“You really thought that far ahead?” 

“Guess I’m really outgrowing my nickname”, Tsuna said with a weak laugh. He got up and rooted through his bag. It took some digging but he produced the bright orange bottle that held Reborn’s meds. “It doesn’t, like, expire, right?”

“No, Tsuna. You have a year with all your medications to use them up. Mine go faster if I have a smaller, one month refill as I take two a day.”

“I always see you take one in the mornings though.”

“I was told to lower the dosage and take it once a day instead for a bit. I had a relapse so it was put back up again.”

Tsuna sat down but Reborn pulled him into his lap, burying his face into Tsuna’s shoulder. He felt Tsuna laugh, patting Reborn’s arms around his waist. Things were finally starting to be better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fuckin g i was driven by lowkey transphobic comments to clear some stuff up so lets not take that shit onto ao3 thenks love y'all

**Author's Note:**

> Tell me what you think, it's very much appreciated if you comment. Especially with all the edits I'm doing lmao  
> -Gate


End file.
